HOW TO OUTWARDLY SHOW YOUR LOVE

Joe and I seem to have always done things differently, including how we got married. I don’t think there was even a marriage proposal; it was somehow just assumed. He moved to Texas to take a job, and a month later, I flew out to see him. I’m not sure how it came about, but I remember telling him I would arrive on Friday, and he had better get a wedding band by the time I landed. Lol!

He picked me up when my plane landed, and we headed to the courthouse to get married. We got married, bought a new car the next day, and  I flew back to Tennessee the next day. Weren’t we a romantic couple? No engagement ring, no honeymoon, and we didn’t even live together for another 3 or 4 months.

We got married on November 14th (our anniversary is Tuesday), and Joe flew home for Thanksgiving and Christmas, so I saw him every few weeks. When we went to his mother’s house for Thanksgiving, she mentioned that I didn’t have an engagement ring. She told Joe that she had a vintage emerald cut diamond ring that he could give me, and I fell in love with that ring. I love vintage jewelry, and this was perfect for me. However, Joe is not a fan of vintage jewelry; all he saw was an old ring. So, he politely refused and said he would buy me a ring instead.

On our trip back to my house, Joe made a quick stop at the jewelry store to look at rings. We had just gotten married, he had just gotten a job, and we didn’t have much money. When he saw the prices of engagement rings, I think that he almost fainted. When we left the store, he sheepishly asked me if I would “settle” for the vintage ring, and I couldn’t say YES fast enough. He thought I was settling by taking the vintage ring. He had no idea that buying the new ring would have been what I saw as settling.

I proudly wore my vintage engagement ring, which I still wear to this day. It symbolizes our love, our commitment, and all of our struggles. The ring is the first thing everyone wants to see when you announce that you are engaged. You see tons of photos of a hand held up proudly for everyone to see the ring. The ring is just a piece of jewelry, but what it “means” is the actual value. It is a tangible item showing the world that HE loves YOU.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how we show OUR love for the LORD. There are many ways to show your love, and they don’t have to cost money. You can show your love through your thoughts and your words. Maybe for some, it shows your love through your singing voice or through teaching a Bible class. Showing your love for the Lord is personal, and many people might not see a tangible item of your love.

When I started the blog and publicly talked about the Lord on Sundays, it was a way to show my appreciation for what the Lord had given to me. Everyone does not like my Sunday posts, and I’ve had many people message me that they didn’t come to a fashion blog for a religious message. Some people have been almost ugly, and many people have unfollowed the blog because of them. I feel like every email or message I receive like that is just the enemy trying to make me quit openly declaring my love for the Lord.

The enemy tries to make you stop what you are doing when you are putting the Lord front and center. Instead of listening to the enemy, I added daily Bible verses to every post. Instead of only showing my love for the Lord on Sundays, I show my love daily.

I wanted the enemy to know he wouldn’t win, so I also purchased a gold necklace with a cross charm that I wear daily around my neck. To me, this necklace was my “ring” that I could show others of my love, commitment, and struggles.

Matthew 27:37-39

³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

You don’t have to show your love for the Lord in the same way that I have chosen. The way that you show your love should be personal to you. Wearing a cross for “others” but being a mean and cruel person doesn’t help you in any way. That would be the same as a married person wearing a ring but still cheating on their spouse. The adornment is just a piece of jewelry; it is your heart that makes the jewelry a symbol of commitment.

So, commit your heart to the Lord daily! Declare your undying love for Him, and proudly let His light shine in you.

To GOD Goes The Glory!

Have A Blessed Day!