Love is Here

So this has been quite the interesting week. For starters, I didn't sleep more than a couple hours each night. (my meds took a little longer to come in than I planned for...) Add to this stress from work, the duties of cleaning, cooking and doing laundry as well as a dog that eats shoes and one that has been having accidents almost daily in the house. Of all the weeks for me to have a bad week, it just happened to be holy week. I'll get to the importance of that momentarily. I hit my breaking point yesterday...the tears flowed like rain...I felt like I had no control over anything. We ended up going out to dinner with my parents and brother and had a wonderful time. We laughed till our sides hurt and ate till we were full! I got up this morning and took Peyton to the vet....he has a bladder infection - thus the source of his accidents recently. I was all excited to hear that and the fact that he is a VERY healthy puppy otherwise. But then they told me the total. Wow. He's more expensive than me...and that's sayin' a lot! Anyway. God has provided some support for us, and we are very grateful for that. I'm sure you're wondering if I'm ever going to make a point...and, well, I'm not sure that I will. Anyway...got home and took a little nap while Ean worked on the bike. Then a little bit later, we went on our second ride of the season. There's something about the wind whipping past you and the sound of the motor revving that is entrancing. Kind of forgot about everything that had been wrong and just smiled. After our ride, I made dinner and we decided to watch The Passion of the Christ. I've seen this a couple of times before - but it's been at least three years since the last time I watched. It was too painful to watch more. The scene that always brings a steady flow of tears is when Jesus is being scourged...and from what I hear, the real thing was even more graphic than what was shown in the movie. His skin was ripped from His body. He was beaten into a bloody pulp. His beard was ripped from His face. People mocked Him, spit on Him and laughed at His pain. They actually enjoyed watching His "punishment." The thing is, Jesus never did anything wrong. He never sinned. He never gossipped while He was at work or snapped as His friends or family because He was tired or grumpy. He was tempted in EVERY WAY we are, yet without sin. His stripes bore my sin...paid for everything I am...and everything I am not. He didn't have to suffer - but because He is LOVE...He chose to. That is humbling. VERY humbling. There's a song that really gets me lately...here are the lyrics:come to the waters, you who thirst and you’ll thirst no more.come to the Father, you who work and you’ll work no more.and all you who labor in vain and to the broken and shamed:love is here.love is now.love is pouring fromHis hands, from His brows.love is near,it satisfies.streams of mercy flowing from His side.cuz love is here.come to the treasure, you who search and you’ll search no more.come to the lover you who want and you’ll want no more, no.and all you who labor in vain and to the broken and shamed,yeah:love is here.love is now.love is pouring from His hands, from His brows.love is near, it satisfies.streams of mercy flowing from His side.yeahand to the bruised and fallen,captives, bound, and broken hearted.He is the lordHe is the lord,yeahby His stripes he’s paid our ransomfrom His wounds we drink salvationHe is the lordHe is the lordlove is here.love is now.love is pouring from His hands, from His brows.love is near,it satisfies.streams of mercy flowing from His side.streams of mercy flowing from His side.cuz love is herelove is here.