Love looks like a lot of different things, of course. But in this season of my life I’m learning what it looks like in the context of family. And this is what I see – that love looks like:
…a father lying down with his toddler until he falls asleep, so that each day can end with comfort and presence instead of loneliness and tears
…a baby’s face bursting into smiles when he hears his big brother waking up after his nap
…a toddler letting his baby brother climb on top of him and get into his personal space, returning the hugs and kisses despite his natural inclination to want to push the baby away
…a grandma giving up precious time in her overloaded schedule to babysit her grandkids and offer invaluable service to her children
…an uncle fighting with his own anxieties and sensory struggles to be present and engaged in his nephew’s lives, despite the (very literal) chaos and mess that entails
…a grandpa showing interest in everything that the people he loves are interested in, from literature to technology to cars to “head-bonkers” with the baby
My husband and my mom are particularly gifted at active, serving, love, and it is from them that I’m learning the most these days, and it is to them that I’m most grateful right now. In their lives I begin to see the beauty in doing the laundry, washing the dishes, or changing a diaper – the depth of love that can be communicated in the small, mundane, tedious tasks of life, the discipline of holiness that can be learned by tackling those responsibilities for God with an attitude of love, and the hidden glory of persistence in doing good. For someone like me, who’s always had a head full of ideas and dreams and been somewhat oblivious to the needs of people right in front of me, and who’s started a hundred things with great intentions but completed relatively few of them, it’s an important lesson.
little thoughts 