Loving My Husband, Loving Myself

     One of the greatest and most  important commandments in the bible is to love thy neighbor. Who is our neighbor? I would say mankind. Every human being whether we believe the same thing, like each other, live together, etc. is our neighbor. If they have the breathe of life and a human body, he or she is a neighbor. Except for husband and wives. I believe husband and wives are one. There are a lot of things that I don't do or say these days purely out of love for my neighbor or myself. Sometimes love is tough but love is also full of grace and mercy. Just like most things in life it's a balance. I used to have a hard time really loving my husband in word and action because I loved him as I loved myself. When we got married he accepted me as I was flaws and all. And I had and still have a lot of flaws. Even though he loved me well, I still hadn't fully learned to love myself so it was hard for me to reciprocate. When I was working full time, he was finishing his Phd program and had a more flexible schedule than mine. Most days he would fix my lunch and help me prepare for work. We would pray before I left the house, pray via telephone on one of my breaks, and I couldn't wait to rush home to him.  When the tables turned and he started working full time and my schedule became flexible, it was a transition for me.  Those that know me know  I am not the domestic type and I'm still learning to cook. My process has been rough, but the one thing that has made it easy was the example not only of Christ but my husband choosing to walk in the love of the Christ. It made me determined to learn. I knew it could be done because I had seen my husband do it. So now every morning we work out together at 5:30.  Then we come home and I cook breakfast and make his lunch fresh as I listen to the Bible on CD. My cooking is a little different  and it takes about an hour or so because I prepare mostly whole fresh foods. Our heaviest meals are breakfast and lunch so now he leaves every morning with a canvas bag full of food. We pray before he leaves, and take time to breathe and embrace one another before the hustle and bustle of the day. He picks me up and twirls me around often these days, and  I can feel his strength,vitality, and joy being restored. It feels good to walk with someone in improving their quality of life and health. It would have never been possible had I not first started continuing the journey forward in loving myself.