Her forehead pressed against mine, she'd hold my face in her tiny hands and sing, "I love you a bushel and a peck, a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck."
And she meant every word.
She loved deeply. Even deeper than a bushel. Or a peck.
This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. John 15:13
My grandmother lived her life in the affection of Christ. His expression of love marked her life.
Love one another: (agapaō) to welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly
Mildred welcomed and loved dearly, all those that the Lord entrusted to her. A woman of faith. An affectionate, serving wife. A student of God's Word and a lover of His people.
Yesterday morning, my precious grandmother met Jesus.
Her faith now sight.
Today, I can't help but think of her legacy.
Her legacy of love.
Not the love of this world, but the agape love of Christ.
This morning, I write from a very raw place. My heart grieving the loss of this precious woman. My ears wishing I could hear her sing to me ... just once more.
But I am so thankful for the lesson that resonates today...
Life is so short. Love hard.
As for my marriage, the Lord entrusted Brent to me for a lifetime, but today I see a lifetime as not very long. Love hard.
I want to be a student of the man in my life. I want to study him and learn how to love him in a way that speaks to his heart most.
Each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. Ephesians 5:33
Brent wants my affection, yes, but even more, he receives love through my respect.
"Here is the secret to marriage that every couple seeks, yet few couples ever find"...
"Unconditional respect is as powerful for him as unconditional love is for her"...
"...it's the secret that will help you achieve a brand new level of intimacy." - Love and Respect for a Lifetime, Dr. Emerson Eggerichs
This Biblical truth is one that my sweet grandmother knew... and as a result she enjoyed two thriving marriages. One to my grandfather, who died of Lou Gehrig's disease, and her second marriage to Everett, a railroad Engineer.
Both men adored her. And I have to believe it is a result from her desire to meet their heartfelt need. Respect.
"Respect is a man's deepest value." - Love and Respect for a Lifetime
I am thankful today for a glimpses of my mortality. I am thankful for the reminder that I only have this marriage for one lifetime. Love Hard. The little things that cause me to be upset with Brent are so small in comparison to the gift he is to me. I am leaving a legacy. My children will remember something of me....
Let it be a legacy of Love and Respect.
I would love to give you a copy of this book. It is a breath of fresh air. Small and easy, but absolutely full of Biblical, healing truth regarding marriage.
A blogsphere friend of mine, Lissa*, commented yesterday saying that this book changed her life. Wow. Weighty words from a woman who walked the rough terrain of marriage. And overcame. Praise Jesus.
Lord God, thank you for the legacy of love that my grandmother left to me. Thank you, for giving me, for giving all of us, the opportunity to leave the same legacy. To love and respect. Let us see Today as the day. To love hard...for life is so fleeting. Help us today to have an eternal mindset. And to be intentional: To PURSUE LOVE. TO PURSUE RESPECT. AND TO PURSUE YOU. In Jesus Name, Amen.
If you'd like to win a copy of this book, you could do a few different things:
1) become a new follower of The Word of God and a Cup of Joe (let me know if you do this...I can't always tell)
2) Share this post with a friend via tweet, facebook or email
3) Share a Cup of Joe on your blog
4) just leave a comment (make sure I have your name and email)
Let me know how you enter. I am so excited about this.
The winner will be chosen and announced tomorrow morning! (I'd love to get the book mailed to you in time for Valentine's Day. xoxo)
(Please pray for my family as we grieve and make arrangements. Especially my sweet Daddy and Aunt Marsha, as they cope with the loss of their mother.)
*Lissa posted a blog this morning on my kitchen and dining room! How neat :)
Oh Becky, I am so sorry about your loss. I will pray for you and your family that God will comfort and guide you at this difficult time.
ReplyDeleteBecky,
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry for the loss of your grandma. I know how precious she is to you, and I know God is smiling to have her home with Him now.
I would love to get a copy of this book. I have wanted it for sometime now and at this point in my marriage I think it would be a wonderful gift for my husband.
D-
Becky, truly sorry to hear about your family's loss. I pray for healing and for all to have the time and take the time to grieve! Praising the Lord for her legacy and rejoicing that she is finally HOME!! love you!
ReplyDeleteBecky,
ReplyDeleteI know your pain as you grieve for your grandmother, all of my grandparents are with the Lord, which in turn is a comforting thing. I pray God gives you this comfort.
If there is one area that needs improving in my life and walk with God and my marriage, it is learning to "respect" my husband in the way God wants us to. I would love to have your book and if I don't win it, could you please email me and let me know how to get it. donnamaskew@aol.com
Live to give!
Donna Askew
Becky- What a wonderful legacy your grandmother left you. I'm sure you will miss her. I'm delighted you came by my blog. I always love meeting other boys moms too.
ReplyDeleteGreat playlist- I listened to it while putting my groceries away. And I LOVE Nicole Nordeman.
Following along now. xo- B.
I absolutely believe in the love and respect idea for marriage. My book is not as cute as this. I read the main one. this one is beautiful. I pray that whoever wins is someone who could really benefit from it. The miracle about my book is that someone sent it to me and it arrived unannounced on my doorstep just days before our hardship started.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry to hear about your family's loss, Becky, and I will lift you all up in prayer. What wonderful things you have to say about your Grandmother, a definite inspiration to me to think about the legacy I will leave. My husband and I have a pretty good marriage but 10 years and 3 kids later and things are tougher than they used to be...I can't say respecting him is always something I keep top of mind. I've heard about this book before and would love to have a copy of it for both of us! Can't wait to meet you in person in just a week now! Stephanie Pohler
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear about your grandmother. Praying for you and your family during this time.
ReplyDeleteWe are watching this video series in our small group. It's definitely impacting our marriage. I'd love to read his book too.
KimberlyUTK@gmail.com
I'm so sorry for your loss. What a blessing, though, to have had a grandmother like that! I want to leave that kind of legacy!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to hear about your grandmother! I've been gone from the web world over the past week. Bear left for India today and will be gone for 2 weeks so we quarantined ourselves as much as possible and used the past week to be as intentional as we could. I will definitely be praying for your family as they walk this hard road but what hope there is to know that she's with Jesus! That peace is immeasurable, I'm sure. Love you.
ReplyDelete