A slightly edited re-post love from last year:

Have you ever tried to describe a loved one to someone who has never met that person?

If you have, you know how hard it is to convey all the nuances of what makes your loved one so special.

Image courtesy of Flickr user: Dainis Matisons

Two-dimensional words fail to fully describe your three-dimensional experience of your beloved. How do you paint in big bold colors how a person makes you feel, laugh, and inspire you to be a better person?

Plus, it is your unique experience with that individual.

All this to say that I am struggling to express what I have experienced with Jesus as I have tried to accompany Him to the cross, and on the cross through prayer and Scripture meditation these past 6 weeks.

I have shared snippets with you through all the posts categorized as "Lent 2012."

Before I write, I pray and listen for His leading. It is an organic process.

He tenderly weaves His story in with mine. He comes for the little girl who desperately longed to be loved.

I do not plan ahead each post's theme, but surprisingly, upon reflection, there is a common thread.

My first post was about listening to His voice of love. My most recent post was about a deepening experience of His love for me.

As He hung there naked, bruised, bloody, and in agony on a wooden cross, He proclaimed: GOD LOVES US despite our sin and He will die to save us from sin's power.

It was love not nails that held Him on that cross.*

How does my little finite mind wrap around the truth that infinite God agreed to be held on a cross when He could have easily stepped down.

For love. For love of you and me, Jesus hung there and rescued us "from the domain of darkness" (Col. 1:13-14).

My Lenten posts were an attempt to show how special Jesus is because of His love for me/all of humanity. As the second Adam, he modeled for us what it looks like to be truly human/loving.

Are you open to His love for you? What has Christ been showing you lately?

How have you experienced His love in your life?

* After I wrote this sentence last year, I recently learned from Liz Curtis Higgs that "As Catherine of Siena wrote in the fourteenth century, “Nails could not have held God-made-Man fastened to a tree, had not love held him there."

For your encouragement:

Ann's post on "Why You Need an Island of Quiet Right Now."

Jennifer's touching post on When you need to be rescued.

Praying you experience the risen Christ this Easter.

It's Five Minute Fridays, where we write for fun, or for free therapy for five minutes. Then we post our unedited work (I correct typos), and we visit the person, who linked up before us.

Our gracious hostess is the encouraging Lisa-Jo, and she selects a word as the guest of honor for each week's writing party.

Photo courtesy of Creative Commons Flickr user BaronBrian

This week's Guest of Honor is "Remember."

Start.

When you are about to die for your friends and for all of humanity, what do you do for your last meal?

If you're Jesus, you tell your closest friends/disciples to remember his body when they break the bread, and to remember His blood shed for them when they drink the wine.

We are a people that need physical tangible reminders. I know I do. For the past three years, I have practiced Lent although it is not something I grew up with.

And it has helped me to remember Christ's suffering and sacrifice before the cross in a way that makes Easter and His resurrection more meaningful. Before I practiced Lent, it seemed like Easter always snuck up on me, and I wasn't emotionally or mentally prepared for how happy and excited it seemed one should be on Easter. I mean, He is alive, right?

When I remember what Christ went through, all the mental, emotional anguish along with the physical, then I can understand why the apostle Paul argues in Romans 8 that if Christ gave us his life, why would He withhold any good thing?

It helps me remember that God's love is not based on my circumstances, but on the cross.

STOP.

 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?- Romans 8:32 ESV

Note: The "all things" is not a blank check but what God deems is best for us in His love and wisdom. Paul's argument being that God already gave us His best in Jesus so God is not going to be stingy in giving us anything else.

What helps you to remember Jesus daily? Or during Lent?

Thank you for being here and sharing your heart with me. .

My prayer for you this weekend is that you will remember God loved you so much He gave you His best and one and only Son.  May you stop and remember His sacrifice when you are tempted to doubt His love for you.

May this remembering not be only a mental exercise, but a deep felt truth imprinted in the very marrow of your soul. Remember, rest and rejoice.

P.S. My other train of thought with this word was when our first dog Jubi died, and we processed our grief by sharing, "Remember when Jubi did...." stories. It did ease the grief as we laughed about some of his funny antics.

Please visit The Gypsy Mama and link up and/or read other entries. 

© Soul Stops/Dolly Lee 2013.

Sometimes I find the joy of His presence *most clearly, when I spend an afternoon at the beach with my family. The infinite sky and rhythmic dancing of waves on the sand settle me.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user chadh

We drove to Carmel Beach with hopes as bright as the day shined. We relished the unusually sunny (though windy) day. Our girl pulsed with joy about showing Jubi's favorite place to our puppy Bailey.

It has been about a year since Jubi's last visit to Carmel. He must have looked like he was ready to depart because people stopped to ask how old he was. One man even surprised me by saying he thought Jubi had 3-6 more months.

Jubi couldn't run, but he still enjoyed occasionally saying "hi" to another dog, or to a friendly face.

We cried our good-bye to Jubi on July 11, 2012.

Like Jubi, Bailey runs to greet all the dogs running off leash on the beach. There is the doggie sniff and greet, and then they play chase or wrestle.

Like Jubi, he quickly learns not all dogs want to play with him, and a few dogs do not even want to say "hi."

It feels a little strange to be here without Jubi after 13 years, but my heart can't help singing with delight at our girl's laughter and joy at Bailey's happy romp. Memories of death while also creating memories of a new life.

Saying "good-bye" and grieving so one can say "hello" to new life and new possibilities.

Saying "good-bye" to sins and old ways of thinking, and saying "yes" to Christ's new life inside of me. Each day can be like a mini-Lent and Easter.

It is a once birth, but also a daily birth as I learn daily to die to my old selfish ways of thinking and acting. And it is His love that warms my cold heart and moves me to change.

Sometimes God's love feels like a warm cozy blanket wrapped tight on a cold winter's day.

Sometimes God's love feels harsh, and distant when He loves me enough to discipline, and/or test me so I can grow to greater maturity (James 1:2-4).

And sometimes, when I ponder His love, it surprises me. Yes. Because God's love is so undeserved, and so unconditional.

What kind of a Father welcomes back a son, who wished him dead, and squandered his inheritance? God. (Luke 15:11-32).

The God of the Bible came in human flesh to die for humans, who wanted nothing to do with Him.

God "is not proud, He stoops to conquer, He will have us even though we have shown that we will prefer everything else to Him, and come to Him because there is 'nothing better' now to be had."-C.S. Lewis,The Problem of Pain.

Prayer:

Dear Father God,

It is staggering when I think of how much you loved me, and continue to love me. Let me be so enraptured and captured by your love that I would willingly follow You, wherever You lead.

You have loved me to the uttermost, so I can trust You with my life.

Forgive me for my lack of trust at times. Please give me the grace to live fully the new life You have given me.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

What touches you when you ponder His love for you? What have you died to so that you can experience His life anew in you?

Thank you for your presence here.

* Post on "J"oy in the Alphabet of Thanks Series. Earlier posts can be found along my right side bar under the category "Alphabet of Thanks."

Thank you for your patience and grace as I have not kept up with a regular posting schedule for the series as I had hoped.

Also linking today with sweet and gifted friend Laura, 

Encouraging friend Jennifer

and the amazing Jen 

and thoughtful Michelle

© Soul Stops 2013/ Dolly Lee. All Rights Reserved.