We play this game, my kids and I. A game of extravagant, one-upmanship designed to color in the vibrant shades of how we feel about each other.
We use our favorite word crayons, markers and finger paints to spell out our feelings.
I love you more than pizza.
I love you more than dump trucks.
I love you more than tractors.
I love you more than puppies.
I love you more than cupcakes.
And the ultimate, ultimate: I love you more than chocolate milk.
We wrap our word love in tight monkey hugs around each other. We squeeze hard. And keep trying to out do each other in sheer volume and extravagance:
I love you more than airplanes.
I love you more than ice cream.
I love you more than pudding.
I love you more than my bear.
The declarations come hard and fast and with each new one I watch as my kids fill up to the brim with this powerful and empowering word.
Love.
To be loved.
When last did you hear it? Did you believe it?
Why is this word so much easier for grown ups to give than to receive? I believe it when I say it to my kids. I believe it all the way down to my pinky toes then. I believe Jesus loves them and I know that I would step in front of a bus for them without a second thought. But when last did I receive that kind of love?
When did I actually accept it without trying to shrug it off with a counter offer of how unlovely I am?
Then,
…. I am driving in the car between a doctor’s appointment and what I know will be an unpleasant meeting with my son’s teacher. I am worried. I am worried about a work outcome that is beyond my control, a preschool trip I can’t seem to fit into my schedule, and a nagging tooth ache that should have disappeared after last month’s trip to the dentist.
Love is the last thing on my mind. It’s raining. I am impatient and empty.
And then it comes – unbidden and unexpected.
I love you more than this downpour.
I love you more than the galaxies and the thousand, thousand stars spinning in space.
I love you more than the cherry blossoms.
I love you more than baby’s breath.
I love you more than you love your kids.
I love you for you.
And I’m crying because I feel so unlovely and so loved at the same time. I can’t see clearly anymore and my heart feels tight and my chest aches and incredibly being loved more than chocolate milk makes sense to me now.
I feel it. The tight, tight monkey hug from the God who made me and speaks my love language just like I speak my kids’.
So, now I’m wondering.What is your chocolate milk? Because I so very much want you to know that He loves you more than that.
He loves you more.
He loves you.
He loves you.
And He loved you like that first.
::
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Your blog is such a blessing to me. You are an amazingly talented writer, thank you for using your gift so beautifully for Jesus:)
yes. these words- music to my ears. it is so much easier to give than to receive. i’m working on that. i am working on letting god’s love flood my being as well as his love shown through others.
thank you for always encouraging.
Wow! My heart is full of so much right now, but the only thing I can find to type is, Wow! Thank you, Lisa-Jo!
Thank you for your beautiful words, Lisa-Jo! I can’t count the number of times I’ve felt this way: “so unlovely and so loved at the same time.”
What a GREAT post and lovely reminder! I loved it more than “Oreo Dessert”.
May you know Is 26:3!!
Thank you, sweet mama. I know exactly what my chocolate milk is at this precise moment, and your reminder could not have been more timely.
I’m blinking back the tears – I could so relate to these words of yours! Thanks for the much needed reminder. You are a treasure! Love your heart!
I have always, always loved the rain. If I heard God tell me, “I love you more than this rain,” I would have been streaming tears too!
My kids and I play a love game we invented. Somebody starts with, “Guess what?”…”What?”… “I have a secret!”… “What?”… and then you bend down and whisper in the other person’s ear: “I love you!!!” It always ends in giggles. And this “secret” never gets old!
I often read…but don’t comment…probably because your words hit a deep spot, where it’s difficult to just come up with a quick, casual comment.
Anyway–didn’t want to read and leave without saying how much I…loved…this.
Thank you.
I needed this tonight. The reassurance that the Creator of the universe is with me, holding me. That he loves my baby girl even more than I do. That he is with her. And me. Thank you.
we play this at our house too! i know it must be a really good day when i hear, “i love you more than Star Wars.” :-)
thanks for the encouragement. been struggling with feeling unlovable lately.
This post reminded me of Matthew West’s “I Love You More.” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRIQxBJCRWU) Thank you so much!
Hi Lisa-Jo,
Thanks so much for this. It really is hard to receive love as an adult. I feel encouraged to work harder at receiving love from others.
Steph
Beautiful… everything about this writing is beautiful.
Thank you Lisa-Jo. Made me take the powerful pause and really consider when I did last accept love. It was reading your post! Put John 3:16 in to a whole new striking dimension for me, thank you
This morning I’ve been singing “Oh, how He loves us!” especially that part about how He is a hurricane and we are a tree. His love is huge. It’s hard to remember.
Thank you (as always) for your words.
This truth is so huge! I appreciate how you apply His love to your every day.
{hugs}
I loved this, dear Gypsy mama… my farrier daughter, after I say I love you, will reply with a twinkle in her eye, and a grin… I love you more!
I will play this game and share it with my daughter who is adopting three toddlers and preschoolers in South Africa… they will love it!
And…I love how God speaks to us and reminds us that, He loves us more… even more than chocolate milk :)
hugs to you today, you lovely lady
Well, you nailed me there. I just had a meltdown/prayer moment with God and admitted that I felt like He loved me because He needed me as His tool, but did He really love me for just…me? Then I opened this post. Cue the tears…
He really does, doesn’t he?
You had me at “I love you more than airplanes.” For a million reasons, wrapped up in someone else’s DNA…airplanes is it.
I “feel” the tight monkey hugs, thanks for the love. I loved reading this. Lots of love to you too, Lisa-Jo.
I love the Lord more than South Africa~ and that’s a lot. And I know He loves me too!!
Lord, give us greater and greater revelations of You and Your love. Thx for this greater revelation thru L-J.
xoxoxx
My girls and I play the same game. :)
This is the last thing I expected to come upon tonight…a really hard night with my children when I feel so unworthy of anyone’s love…especially the One worthy of all worship…what a gift your words are…thank you more than you can know!
Dang.
Thanks.
Thank you for this post. I sure needed to read it this morning…folks are saying it, but I’m having a very hard time believing it. Thank you again. May He bless you with a beautiful day.