today i’ve spent some time going through some old journals of mine. i found an entry in one from almost two years ago. jay and i were married about a month and i had written down a bunch of quotes. one that really stood out to me was this:
“make a decision to be aradical blessing to your husband, family, and world of influence. give away time and love to those who need help, whether or not they have anything to give back to you.”
…woah. a radical blessing. one way to define radical is “far reaching.” i stopped and thought about it for a minute…am i far reaching into the lives of others to bless them? am i stepping outside of my comfort zone to reach out to those around me in need? (i often wonder why i desire to go on missions trips out of the country when i am afraid to talk and be a blessing to the people in my own neighborhood!) do i spend more time nagging my husband or complimenting and encouraging him? do i see the time spent caring for my little one as a blessing even on those rough (teething) :) days? it seems so simple but so often my selfishness gets in the way. such a good reminder for me to not become complacent in giving of my time and love- but to keep giving and keep loving, even when there is sometimes no acknowledgment. it reminds me of this… “whatever you do, if you do it as unto the Lord, our lives and the lives of others will be blessed.” i want to abide in Him and be blessing today- to those in and outside of our home.
“above all things have intense and unfailing love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins [forgives and disregards the offense of others.]” 1 peter 4:8
anywho, just thought i’d share. hope you are having a beautiful day…
love,
arielle
Love this, Arielle. It’s true that it’s easier at times to daydream about the radical and the faraway rather than reaching out and loving those around us. I want to leave a legacy of Christ to my family. I was just thinking about that yesterday and really convicted to think how they would remember my influence if I didn’t have much time left with them.
thank you for the encouragement anna :)
Really enjoyed this. I loved the quote especially. I hope you’re having a great day today. :)
Emily w/Amazing Grapes
I believe this blog is a blessing to everyone who reads it. I know for myself it helps me think about things in my own life and how I’m living it. And I love having this blog to read to sort of “open my eyes”.
i agree with you lady. x arielle God really has used you to impact the lives of women all around the world. Keep being a blessing. Your keeeef! x
thank you so much for encouragement, eleanor! :)
I love that quote! And I hope you don’t mind that I’m going to copy it into my own journal :)
Isn’t that what real love is about? Time? My missionary companion and I were studying love this morning and why we have to love the people we’re teaching. You can read the verse that we liked the most
Oh, That didn’t work. Whoops! I tried to use html and I guess my skills are lacking. Here’s the scripture!
http://lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/12.8?lang=eng
Your posts really do bring peace within me (: Have a lovely day
Love that quote! It’s hard to want to bless and serve people when you feel like you don’t receive anything in return, but that is our calling as Christians. It’s better to give than to receive! I must work on that.
I LOVE this quote – there are so many blessings but only a few radical blessings!
THANK YOU x
Thank you for this beautiful post, Arielle. I needed to hear this today. We’ve had a few of those rough (teething here, too!) days lately and I need the reminder that it’s not about me, but about Him.
That is an amazing quote. I love the word RADICAL these days…I never really thought about being a radical blessing though. This is a great reminder of our call. Christ calls for radical obedience. It doesn’t matter how good of a wife I am by worldly standards. Am I a wife who follows the radical call of Christ? Am I really representing the Bride? Hmm. Thanks for the thoughts today!
Love this post! I too want to be a radical blessing, especially in my hubby and 15 month old’s life! I have to say, I have not been doing as good of a job as I should be! I also need to be a radical blessing to those who are in my life, instead of taking them for granted assuming they will just be there, when I need someone! Great, encouraging, and convicting post!
I love this post and that quote. I am totally convicted right now! Thank you for sharing and for being used by God for His glory. xo
This was Beautiful….Although I am not a wife yet, I want to be a radical blessing to my boyfriend who I’ve been with for a year and one day be a radical blessing to my husband.
I love the idea of just being a radical blessing to someone instead of praying for your own radical blessing. Really beautiful.
Inspiring message. Something I definitely need to work on myself, and I love reading encouraging posts :)
Radical blessing – beautiful.
That’s quite a challenge for us, Arielle! Thanks for sharing this lesson with us so that we can be challenged to be a radical blessing as well.
P.S. I haven’t been around the blog world that much this summer and I’m especially glad to be back reading your blog–so encouraging!
Just wrote……and comment got lost? Wanted to say so many are in need of just an ear to hear……or a kind word to be said……so simple to be radical…….but, if not in the forefront of our thinking opportunities get missed quite often….Love your thought! Hope all who see this “passes it forward” Love Ya Terra
This blessed my heart today — thank you so much for writing!
This is so beautiful, exactly what I needed to read this morning.
P.S. I included a link to one of your posts in my post today, hope you don’t mind:)
Hi Olivia!
Thank you! and of course I don’t mind! :) Hope you have a great weekend!
I am glad that you posted this today! A couple months ago before my wedding, one of my married friends warned me that marriage would reveal how selfish I really am. I have been married two and a half months now, and it is astounding how naturally I pursue my own comfort and overlook the needs of my husband! Thanks for the much-needed reminder to be a radical blessing!
What a lovely post. Really hit home for me. Thankyou for sharing this.
Beautiful post! =)
This was such an amazing blessing to me today Arielle! such a great conviction to my heart. Thank you for sharing this!
i am soooooo happy i found your blog through casey! beautiful images, you are beautiful and your so is your writing!!
that one part about speaking up to people was so great to me, last year i went on a mission trip to india and this boldness just came over when i was there….yet when i came back to washington dc i would be on the streets and this fear would come over me to say things i knew i neeeded to. God worked it out in me and allowed me to see and understand that missions are everywhere, even right outside our door and they aren’t always far away. its always a learning experience huh? :)
well i am happily following your blog and you on twitter! glad to have found you!
xoxo
ashley
http://www.laluceimagery.blogspot.com
http://www.twitter.com/AMarieWilson
Thanks for this. It definitely inspires me to try and live differently. It would be an honor to be a radical blessing to those who I love.
Arielle,
I just read your post over at Casey’s Blog and it was simply wonderful. You have a beautiful way of giving us greatly needed reminders. Just wanted to say thanks! :)
Katie @http://batsinthebelfry-katie.blogspot.com/
oh, i love this. that quote is fabulous. and i wonder, too, why i seek to travel and serve overseas, rather than serving in my own neighborhood. it’s certainly something to think and to pray about!
Wowzas! You have one of those blogs that is so refreshingly simple and beautiful. Yet so full of life. Thank you from the bottoms of my toes to the tips of my red hair!
Love your thoughts. AND photos. AND the guest post on Casey’s blog.
That’s all for now.
xoxo
I popped over here because I saw your guest post on The Wiegand’s and wanted to tell you how much I enjoy the post because that is also something I have been thinking about a lot lately. Then I came here and read this post which was a great reminder for me, thank you so much, you have a new follower!
thank you so much chantel! :)
Great quote! Thanks for sharing :)
I love this. I once heard our pastor say your spouse could trade you in for some one younger, thinner, prettier, and so on …. BUT you should make it your goal that they would never ever ever be able to find someone who will treat them better…
I just stumbled across your blog from The Wiegand’s & have fallen in love with it!! Thank you so much for your honesty & how real you are! It is so encouraging to see others living out their love for Christ… :-)
Your newest follower,
Mandy
I am sure that you’re a great wife and a loving mother. Your family is so lucky <3 I envy blonde people, so cute!!
Hi there! Thanks for the thoughts you shared on The Wiegands blog! Comparison is such a big problem, and I definitely need to be reminded not to fall into it. On a totally different note, I love your hair! :)
Looking forward to reading more of your blog!
Emily
Love that…”radical blessing”. Such an encouragement and challenge all wrapped in one.
Such beautiful truths- thanks- I made myself slow down to read this. I feel more at peace now. :)
Found you via the Wiegands, and I absolutely love your blog!! So glad I found you!
I love “radical” blessing! I think I’m going to post a little variation of this somewhere to see!
Thanks so much for this; I needed it today! :)
thank you stephanie! :)
‘such a good reminder for me to not become complacent in giving of my time and love- but to keep giving and keep loving, even when there is sometimes no acknowledgment.’
So hard to do sometimes, but I’m trying harder every day! :)
thank you for the encouragement! :)
i just adore your blog and that lovely verse in 1 Peter. thanks for sharing girl, and thanks for inspiring!
Xo
http://mrtaylorandhislady.blogpsot.com
Your blog has been such a blessing to me. I find it to be so raw and resfreshing.
thank you jenna! :)
this is wonderful! just what I needed.
oh my, this photos just melts my heart.
also, it’s always great to be reminded not to let ourselves become complacent. thank you for sharing :)
So I just spent the evening complaining to my husband about how I do all the work around the house, take care of our baby and never get any acknowledgement. And then I come read this post…just the correction I needed. Thanks for the reminder and encouragement to get my heart back in the right place!
This is very beautiful and so very true.
It is an especially wonderful reminder to me right now, when I have 4 little ones and am so caught up in caring for and blessing THEM, that I sometimes forget I have a husband who needs blessing too.
It is easy to let him fend for himself–after all, he is a grown up.
But I remember those early days when all I wanted to do was to bless him and fill him up and love him with all I had.
Now I have 4 more people who need me to do that but that doesn’t mean he needs me to do it any less.
Thank you for the encouragement.
Love from,
Greta
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