What Do You Love?

I know, I know, it's been a long time since I posted anything of any great worth and I know all my rabid fans are just waiting with bated breath for a dose of intellectual ramblings. This is not the place for such things LOL

Since I enjoy making lists and crossing things off said list, I will now entertain you with a list of my current favorite songs. Please try and contain your excitement. I know it's more than you could have hoped for, but it will be ok, really. I promise.

So, here it is in all it's glory:

1. By His Wounds - Mac Powell

2. Holy, Holy, Holy - Kutless

3.

4.

5.

Ok, by now you must be thinking - hey? where's the list? What's going on here? What's the matter with my computer?

Truth is, I don't really have favorites of anything. I enjoy many things, but I cannot in all honesty say that something (anything) is my favorite. I thought about changing my list of five favorites from songs to restaurants or colors or books, but sadly, I can't think of five FAVORITES in any of those categories. How sad is that?

I used to say I "loved" many things - bubble baths, scented candles, Bath & Body Works stuff, chocolate, Italian food, the beach. Alas, now I can truly say that while I enjoy these things, they do not hold the attraction they once did. I am hard-pressed to say I LOVE anything, because it is too strong a word to be used on temporal things. I ENJOY these things and more, but do I LOVE them?

I do what/whom I love, though. That is a much easier question to answer. I love my God. I love my husband. I love my children. I love that God's love for me will never change, regardless of what I do or don't do. I love that my relationship with God is always growing and changing.

I have learned over the past year or so that what I enjoy and what I love should be two different things. When I "love" earthly, temporal things, I run the risk of that thing or things choking out my love for God. Even my love for my husband and my children can become unhealthy if I put it above my love for God. There must be a balance.

God commands us to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength AND THEN to love others as ourselves. God must come first, followed by others, not the other way around. Things have no place in that list. Why? Because as humans, we tend to want to worship and adore those things we can see, feel, touch, or taste. We want something tangible. We are too easily swayed by stuff.

Lest anyone reading this think I am being legalistic, or going fanatical or something crazy like that, fear not. I did not say that I cannot ENJOY things. I do enjoy many things. I enjoy going out to eat. I enjoy surfing the Web. I enjoy hanging out with my friends. I enjoy scrapbooking. I enjoy reading. I enjoy having a clean house. I enjoy feeling sunshine on my face. I enjoy peace and quiet. I enjoy going to the movies on occasion if there is a film worth seeing.

I am just being careful with how I word things. My LOVE should be reserved for God and then my husband and children and then others. Once my love is in the right place, I can then enjoy the abundant life promised me by God. And it is abundant! He has blessed me beyond my wildest expectations. Loving God is not a chore. Loving the world and the things in it is - the world is a cruel taskmaster who is never satisfied.

God wants my love. He shall have it. No one deserves it more than He.

So, what do you love?