Day 9: The nature of God

LOVE. I could go so many directions with this. Like how I have fallen in madly love with each of my two boys from that first moment they breathed, through those early months nursing them in the middle of the night. Or how love drives out fear. Pushes you to take new steps in your life. How it makes you selfless. Sleeping on the floor of the hospital when your child is sick. But as I pondered a picture to take, I saw love on my messy dining room table.

Despite our crazy hectic life... I decided that Ulrich deserved fancy seafood Italian dinner and a beer. For no reason other than -- why not. Of course, we have kids. Life is a mess. So, I didn't serve it with jazz and candlelight as I would have in years past but it didn't matter. It was still special. We are in the middle of life together.

I am so fortunate to have a great marriage. Ulrich and I are best friends. Two peas in a pod. Working together. Raising kids. Pushing each other to grow. Talking for hours. We never tire of each other. And it seems with every year that goes by I find myself growing into him more. I feel that with each passing day we can represent each other to the outside world. We can cover for each other's weaknesses and highlight each other's strengths. We can make independently decisions that fully incorporate each of our own opinions. Of course, it's not perfect. We are still selfish. We find ourselves in tussles that involve each of our own pride. Each of our own wanting to be first. We hurt each other by not being fully present for the other. We get tired and cranky. We are in a word, human.

God is love. This is more than a tagline. I think it is the essence of God's nature. The being of God, we understand to be the trinity - a relationship. Three separate entities that so perfectly love that they are in fact one. As much as God is eternal and omnipotent so is God love. For me, lent is a season to reflect on what that means. For God came and dwelt among us. Revealing to us their very nature - Love. On a cross. On Easter morning. A way to teach us deeply the nature of God and the way of love. It is a holy mystery that we can grow into. Peeling away layers as we mature in our faith. I doubt anyone truly, fully grasps in whole. But I don't think we are expected to. Rather, we are asked to open ourselves to be transformed by mimicking Christ. Allowing love and light to seep into our being that we too may walk the way of the cross.