All My Love, Gennavieve

Sometimes, growing up in the Christian church makes the wonder of the Lord and the illuminating power from approaching His throne grow dim beneath the layers of worship services, VBS weeks, small groups, and prayer nights. When I become engulfed in doing I forget the very Being who calls me into His presence. I feel plagued by the to-do lists. I seem to fall short in every area because I am relying on my own strength. So, I find myself searching for a scripted prayer or a passage to bring to the Lord because my words do not seem worthy. I avoid coming to the Lord in the rawness of my vulnerability, but when I do this, I have removed the significance of Christ’s death and resurrection. I have fallen prey to the lie of perfection. Christ knew the future, He saw the anguish in the garden, the betrayal of Judas, the torture of crucifixion, the rejection of a people group He loved, and yet he said, “Not what I will, but what You will” (Mark 14:36). He accepted the cup of suffering,...

Sometimes, you do not know how much your soul needs something until the ache you have carried for so long is suddenly no longer with you. Sometimes, the Lord refreshes you in ways unimaginable and leads you into a Promised Land of fulfillment for moments that leave you breathless. These moments defined my Easter weekend. I know words will not truly do justice to the beauty of the time my friends and I shared, but I wanted to try to capture at least a fraction of it. Two things stand out. First, the simple moments of God-sent perfection and second, the depth of love felt within my heart. Perfection came in belly laughter, in carrot soufflé, in grey clouded skies that drooped so low it felt as though you could touch a cloud if you reached high enough. Perfection arrived in a playful, clumsy-pawed puppy, in Gigi’s strawberry cake, in trees and tulips that announced springtime’s arrival in East Tennessee. I use the word perfect because I know that these things came from the ultima...

I recently watched one of those trending Facebook sermon videos about marriage. I was skeptical upon clicking the video and so I half listened. Then I tuned in when the speaker said, "Love comes after marriage... love is solidified in marriage as spouses relentlessly pursue one another." Love develops after marriage. I have heard this before. In fact, I have heard this for a long time. As a young woman who grew up in the church, I have listened to the messages on marriage, the preaching on patience, and the sermons on sacrifice. Growing up, I was excited about these things. I was thrilled at the opportunity to pursue one man, continually learning more about him and learning to love him more. To dive deeper into his world and, therefore, to love him more deeply. I was even excited about undoubtedly failing in marriage. Failing again and again because I knew it would bring me to the foot of the cross and deeper into understanding God's unconditional and relent...