“When we value ‘being cool’ and ‘in control’ over granting ourselves the freedom to unleash the passionate, goofy, heartfelt, and soulful expressions of who we are, we betray ourselves.
When we consistently betray ourselves, we can expect to do the same to the people we love. When we don’t give ourselves the permission to be free, we rarely tolerate freedom in others.”
-Brene Brown
Laughter, song, and dance create emotional and spiritual connection; they remind us of the one thing that truly matters when we are searching for comfort, celebration, inspiration, or healing: We are not alone.
-Brene Brown
I’m glad you came.
Came into my life
and washed all my cares away.
Now every thing’s alright.
And I hope you’re here to stay.
Stay with me all night.
I’m glad you came.
I’m on my knees. I’m on my knees
begging, “Baby, don’t leave.”
You hear my cries. You hear me plead.
And still you want to be free.
I’m not afraid. I’m not afraid
of losing you.
I think I’m more afraid
of losing me.
“Love is not something we give or get; it is something that we nurture and grow, a connection that can only be cultivated between two people when it exists within each one of them – we can only love others as much as we love ourselves.
Shame, blame, disrespect, betrayal, and the withholding of affection damage the roots from which love grows. Love can only survive these injuries if they are acknowledged, healed and rare.” – Brene Brown
“If you want to make a difference, the next time you see someone being cruel to another human being, take it personally. Take it personally because it is personal!” – Brene Brown
We’re not here to “find love”. We already have it. It fills our entire being.
We’re here to use our gifts and talents to do God’s work.
And when we approach life in this way, the love within us becomes like an overflowing river.
Our culture puts too much value on independence. The truth is, to be truly independent, is to be alone.
Some call this strength, but really it’s often laziness. As humans, we’re designed to need other people. To believe that you can go at this world alone is like setting your soul down on a couch, never allowing it to exercise.
See, if you spend enough time alone, it soon becomes very hard to be around other people. You begin to think that the world belongs to you- that all space is your space and all time is your time.
You become so used to being able to daydream and keep yourself company, that other people are merely an intrusion. And this is terribly unhealthy.
God doesn’t want us floating through life alone, or sitting in front of our computers. He doesn’t want our lives to play out like a movie called Independence. He wants us interacting- laughing together, praying together, eating together…
If loving other people is a bit of heaven, then surely isolation is a bit of hell. While we’re on Earth, we get to decide in which state we would like to live.
“Love is the free exercise of choice. Two people love each other only when they are quite capable of living without each other but choose to live with each other.” – M. Scott Peck
We cultivate love when we allow
our most vulnerable selves to be seen and known.
Love is not something that we give or get;
it is something that we nurture and grow.
Withholding of affection,
disrespect, betrayal and blame
damage the roots from which love grows
and hurt the place from which it came.
Love can only survive these injuries
if they’re acknowledged, healed, and rare.
So put down your ego, put in the work,
and let love know you’re there.