With the order for us to stay at home during this pandemic it is completely natural for tensions to rise as we are spending more time together and in closer quarters.  I have heard that we treat the ones that we love the most, the worst. That is probably for lots of reasons like we are with those people the most often therefore they have a higher chance of seeing our worst.  We likely also feel safest with them so we trust they will still love us even if we blow up on them.

“You don’t love me or each other as you did at first!” (Rev. 2:4b) Those 2 words stood out this morning as I was journaling with the Lectio Divina  method. After I slowly read a passage over and over, I like to ask God- Is there anything you want to say to me? and then I do my best to jot what comes to mind. “If the Holy Spirit should come and begin to preach to your heart, giving you rich and enlightened thoughts, . . . be quiet and listen to him who can talk better than you; and note what he proclaims and write it down; so will you experience miracles as David says: ‘Open my eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.’ (Psalm 119:18)

Here is what came to mind:

[My love for you does not falter. It is never ending. It is not like human love and affection that ebbs and flows. I encourage you to think of times when you loved others fiercely.

Remember the season of being twitterpatted with Jeremy?

Remember when your kids were tiny and smelled like heaven?

Remember when you would hold those sleeping beauties and just stare at them with adoration?

Remember doing whatever to make them giggle?

Remember how their cuteness seemed too much? How could a baby be so adorable?

Remind your family of the times they couldn’t handle the cuteness of another.

Remember how 4 yr. Hannah could not keep her hands off  “Baby Joy” and that one time you came back into your bedroom and found Hannah holding newborn Joy?

Remember how fiercely protective 2 yr. old Joy was over baby Isaiah- “no, that’s my boy!”

Remember how toddling Hannah adored her “Goekee” (Julie)?

Remember how excited kindergartener Julie would be to come over and play with 3yr. old Hannah?

Remember how Hannah would hug your belly because she wanted to hug her unborn sister, Joy?

Remember how they all gushed over 23 month old Isaac with his little hiking boots, red beanie and wild curly hair as they followed him around as he explored your house for the first time?

Remember how 10 yr. old Joy would sit in the hammock with Isaac and make up songs for them to sing together?

Remember how they thought everything Isaac said and did was so cute?

Remember how young elementary Julie would spend hours getting all the kids to do these elaborate plays?

Remind them of these things. Remind them of the strong ties of love they have with each other.]

A theme verse for our homeschool and really for me as a parent is Colossians 2:2, “My goal is that they will be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have full confidence because they have complete understanding of God’s secret plan, which is Christ himself.”

May this time of lock down result in greater ties of love and togetherness.