A Love Like No Other

As I lean in to kiss her, she smells scrumptious, a blend of baby shampoo and newborn baby.

The pattern of her breathing is interrupted on occasion by a little sigh or two. Her eyelashes quiver, and I wonder what she's dreaming. Though I know she's too young to truly smile, I see a glimmer of a grin dancing across her face. Her fingers seem impossibly tiny as they instinctively grasp my husband's mammoth hand.

We are in love. We are in awe. We are blessed beyond belief with this tiny miracle.

This is certainly not the first time I've held a baby. But my heart feels full to overflowing.

Everyone told me that being a grandparent was like no other experience. They were right. I contemplate why that is. As a young mom, was I just too tired to be so wrapped up in the moment? Did the hormones raging through my post-pregnancy body keep me from truly seeing the miracle?

I don't have the answer.

But the birth of our first grandchild, Kinley Marie, on December 30 has me thinking about unconditional love.

Is this how my Heavenly Father looks at me? The Bible says it is. But it's so hard to truly believe that in my heart. Shouldn't I have to earn that kind of love?

And I have so many flaws, Lord. I fail, day in and day out.

I didn't do this thing that I should have.
I did do that thing that I shouldn't have.
I'm not smart enough.
I'm not thin enough.
I'm not patient enough.
I'm not kind enough.
I'm not thankful enough.
I don't forgive quickly enough.
I'm not ... I'm not ... I'm not.

But you know what? God loves me anyway. And I'm probably offending Him mightily when I bring up all the flaws instead of celebrating the magnitude of His gifts in my life.

You have begun to live the new life, in which you are being made new and are becoming like the One who made you. This new life brings you the true knowledge of God.

Colossians 3:10

I'm a work in progress. Yes, God expects me to keep studying, keep praying, keep serving, keep being the hands and the feet.

But when I fail, He still sees me with eyes that are as loving as Abba/Father.

Or a Grandma.

I heard a song with new ears this week. It's Anthem Lights' Can't Get Over You.

It says, in part:

I love the way You love like no other
It's got nothing to do
With anything that I do.
Time and time again
You forgive me
So this time I choose
To stay here with You

Hold me, pull me just a little bit closer
I don't wanna lose this moment
Your love has covered me. ...

It's a good song to have stuck in my head this month. Love is much more than heart-shaped candies and chocolates. Like the song says, it's about love like this:

Here in the arms of my Father
Only grace can be found ...

And when in my humanness, I forget it, I'll think of that feeling of cradling a newborn baby.



Just in case you want it stuck in your head, too, here's the acoustic version of the song from Anthem Lights. The harmonies are delicious.

And, speaking of delicious, if you're looking to treat your family, a neighbor or a special friend during this Valentine's month, try this recipe for Red Velvet Cupcakes.

Or if chocolate is the key to your loved ones' hearts, try this Chockful of Chocolate cupcake.

Enjoy!

What Love Really Means

It's February. It's that time of year when the television ads remind us all about hearts and flowers and expensive jewelry and finding the perfect Valentine.

After all, that's what love is all about, right?

But is it really?

I have had a song repeatedly running through my head this morning. I heard JJ Heller sing it on K-LOVE radio as I drove to choir practice last night. It's called "What Love Really Means."

I haven't faced the terrible circumstances of the people she sings about. In it, she sings about a boy who has a life story "no one would believe." I have always had a family who has loved and cared about me.

She sings about a wife whose husband has left her. She wonders if she were just thinner, would her husband have stayed? I have been married almost 30 years to a wonderful man who loves me unconditionally.

She sings about a man in a cell who wants to be forgiven and cries out to God in his final hours before death. I have never been there either.

But the final words of the song still speak to my soul. It is God telling all these people:

I will love you for you
Not for what you have done
Or what you will become.
I will love you for you.
I will give you the love
The love that you never knew.

And I think God's reminding me of that, too. I've heard the song before, but for some reason, it really sunk in this time. Maybe it's because earlier in the day, I had just read a devotional with the same message.

I have been chosen by God, my email devotional from ourprayer.org had reminded me:

The book of Ephesians says so: "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ...For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight."

Ephesians 1:3-4

Think of it! Before He designed the universe, our heavenly Father selected you as a special object of His eternal affection. ... God always chooses us for a special purpose. Jesus said, "I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit. (John 15:16) What fruit are you to bear? The fruit of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5: 22-23).

God wants to fill your life with His spirit of love and joy and peace and pure goodness.

That's the kind of LOVE I should be celebrating this Valentine's Day.

But I'm human. And in my humanness, I sometimes get caught in evaluating myself with the world's standards.

"I'm not thin enough to be worthy. I'm not pretty enough to be worthy. I'm not smart enough to be worthy. I don't do enough to be worthy."

I think that's why the message of the song (and the message from Ephesians) is so powerful:

This is GOD speaking to me - not that human voice that doubts my worthiness:

I will love you for you
Not for what you have done
Or what you will become
I will love you for you.
I will give you the love
The love that you never knew.





And that's a message worth hearing this Valentine's month. It's way more valuable than expensive jewelry and flowers.

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If you're looking for a yummy way to share love from your kitchen this Valentine's Day, here's a tried-and-true recipe from my kitchen to yours!

They are called Caramel Chip Bars, but I think they are more like candy. They are a favorite around here at holiday celebrations! Enjoy!

Caramel Chip Bars

1/2 cup butter (no substitutes)
32 caramels, unwrapped
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 cups miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup vanilla or white chips
1/2 cup Heath brickle chips

In large saucepan, combine butter, caramel and condensed milk; cook and stir over medium-low heat until smooth. You may also use the microwave, taking care not to burn the mixture. Cool.

In a mixing bowl, combine cake mix, oil and eggs; mix well. Stir in chips and brickle. Dough will be stiff. Press 3/4 into a greased 9- by 13-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Place on wire rack for 10 minutes. Pour caramel mixture over crust. Drop remaining dough by spoonfuls onto caramel layer. Bake for 25 to 30 additional minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes; run a knife around edges of pan. Cool 40 minutes longer; cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

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Need another idea?

Try these Caramel Coconut Squares.

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Or see my December blog, R-E-S-T, for links to several other cookies. There's also one of our family favorite cookie recipes in last February's Food for Thought post, Heart of the Home.

Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours!