Luke 10:27
He answered, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all you mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"
We have our oldest granddaughter, Virginia Rose, staying with us over the weekend. It is always an indescribable joy to have her, and my husband, Danny, and I cherish every moment spent with her.
What thrills and surprises our hearts is how many times in the course of a day we hear Virginia declare, "I love you, Papa! I love you, Gammie!" She may pipe up when she's working on a drawing, waiting for her peanut butter and jelly sandwich, brushing her teeth, or playing games with us. No, she's not looking for favors. Virginia is merely expressing the generous feelings rising up from the depths of her soul. She is so grateful for her time with us.
"I love you, Gammie! I love you, Papa!"
"I love you, too!" we assure her as hugs are shared all around.
Can anything make us feel better than that unaffected and genuine expression of emotion? No, not a thing!
And often, Virginia will conclude her affirmation of love for us with appreciation for her family. "I have the best family ever!"
Wow . . . just wow!
And in Virginia's readily shared proclamations of love, I am given pause to reflect: How many times a day do I stop what I'm doing and say to my Father, my Jesus, my Holy Spirit, "I love you!" If you are like me, not nearly enough!
And how many times do I regard my neighbors, my fellow human beings, as "the best family ever!"? Loving them as myself just as Jesus commanded? Once again, epic fail!
But with God's help, I can turn this all around. Because no longer do I simply want to take Luke 10:27 to heart, I need to act on it.
Live by it.
Looking with the love of Jesus at all people as God's children - the best family there is.
Telling the Lord, often and with thanksgiving, "I love you!"
And I have no doubt I'll hear Him answer, "I love you, too!"
Amen.
What a great post! Yes--HOW OFTEN???
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Martha!
Probably, no often enough, Lulu. Sad, but true!
DeleteLove and blessings!
What a wonderful "love story" today!! Thank you for this heart felt message of love...not just for our immediate family, but for God and His wonderful big family! Love to you and your family today. Thank you for sharing the love...
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad I could share this story here, Pamela. Oh, the sweet lessons children can teach us! And isn't God's love for us the Greatest Story Ever Told? May we tell Him we love Him every day.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Martha, I want you to know that your post caused me to pause and sing to the Lord. I couldn't help myself. My spirit just sang song after song of how much I love Him. Man, that felt good! Thanks to Virginia Rose too.
ReplyDeleteHugs to you, sweet lady!
Oh, what a thrill I got reading your comment, Beckie! Singing to God is such a wonderful way to tell Him how much we love Him. Glad Virginia inspired this post!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Amen and amen!!! I love you!
ReplyDeleteI love you Jesus...I love our family Lord! WOW! Yes, WOW!
Wow, indeed, Marla! Let us declare our love for the Lord and others at all times and in all places.
DeleteLove and blessings!
What wonderful memories you are making for Virginia to remember and draw upon in years to come. May God bless you for it; and bless your whole family too.
ReplyDeleteOh, yes, Victor, the sweetest of memories, that's for sure! Virginia is such an accepting and loving child, and we feel so blessed whenever we are with her.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Oh, for the trusting heart and unfailing love of a child. We should ask God everyday for a pure heart and right spirit. Your grand sounds like a lovely child. We could all follow her example. Thank you for sharing, and have an extraordinary day.
ReplyDeleteYes, Nells, Virginia is a lovely and loving child, and she has so blessed our lives. And we should ask God every day to renew us and create a new heart within.
DeleteLove and blessings!
What's not to love? Right? Seriously, I love hearing "i love you" from my family but most especially from the good, good Father.
ReplyDeleteAmen, Bill! Hearing God's affirmation that He loves us is the ultimate joy in this life. He is, indeed, a good, good Papa!
DeleteLove and blessings!
What a great analogy and what a precious child!! Thank you for sharing this today! I love you Lord Jesus! Amen!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Terri! Yes, Virginia is precious to all of us, and so often says/does things that inspire my posts here.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Out of the mouths of babes, right, Martha? Our sweet grandkids can give us such great spiritual lessons, can't they? I'm sure Gamma and Papa exemplify love to her, too. Thank you for reminding me to tell God I love him more often! We can never say it enough, can we? May our lives breathe out His love to others! I love you, Martha!
ReplyDeleteNo, Trudy, we can never tell God enough that we love Him. I almost always learn a life/spiritual lesson when Virginia visits. Is it any wonder Jesus told us to let the little children come to me, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven? Not surprising in the least!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Martha, this post is simply lovely. Virginia does seem to have a tender, loving heart--something I hope the world doesn't take from her. It seems Virginia learned early on to say those words, "I love you" frequently--this is something we all should learn AND do.
ReplyDeleteWhile I tell the Lord that I love Him frequently throughout the day--even what I do has room for improvement. And that whole loving your neighbor? There's lots and lots of room for improvement there.
Love and blessings!
I don't think we all have room for improvement in both these areas, I KNOW we do! Yes, I pray the world will never steal the pure love and joy Virginia so naturally exudes. What a blessing she is to us!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Yes, Martha! May we stop during our day and take the time to tell God we love Him. Virginia Rose is the sweetest girl! And what a wonderful picture of her. Thanks for this reminder. We love you, Lord!
ReplyDeleteIt is one of the most important things we can do, Karen, and the more frequently, the better. And thanks for your kind words about Virginia. We think she's pretty sweet, too!
DeleteLove and blessings!
good lesson and reminder. She is so cute and love how you share her stories. We can learn so much from these young hearts.
ReplyDeleteWe can always learn so much from the "least of these," Jean. They hold the keys to the kingdom of heaven.
DeleteLove and blessings!
More wisdom from Virginia Rose. What a deep spirit she has that shines forth.
ReplyDeleteGalen, her spirit is deep . . . deep and true. Virginia has more than inspired me to love others more than I've ever thought possible. I thank God every day for her presence and inspiration.
DeleteLove and blessings!
LOVE this, Martha! What precious insight out of precious moments. And what a much needed reminder. We are commanded to love Him and love others - thanks for putting it all in perspective once again. Blessings and hugs, my friend!
ReplyDeleteThank you so very much for your encouraging words here, Deb! We are commanded to love God and one another, and Jesus reminded us on many occasions that the kingdom of God belonged to the little ones. Oh, what lessons they can teach us!
DeleteLove and blessings!