WE ARE by Ronilynn Brissey-Ramos

WE ARE Reconciled
ONE with Him
Secure
Authentic
Humble
PURE
Beautiful
Generous
Truthful
Honorable
LOVE
Selfless
Peaceful
Tender
Purposeful
Faithful
Hopeful
Brave
Strong 
Determined
Resilient
Victorious
WE ARE HIS WARRIOR QUEENS.

Radical: adjective 1. relating to or affecting the fundamental nature of something; far-reaching or thorough.
Love: noun 1. an intense feeling of deep affection.

Matthew 6:24 & 25 "Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it."
I was recently asked, "To what extent should I go to show love to my extremely difficult family member?"  My answer was, "To the greatest extent you possibly can. Your love should be radical. That's what we are called to as Christians."  Easier said than done, right?  Loving others can be very messy, painful and nearly impossible at times, but it can also be rewarding, wonderful and uplifting.  It's easy to buy into love when it's the latter of those sentiments, but there are two sides to every coin.   I have felt the dark side of love in relationships, marriage, and parenting.  Haven't we all?  There is always light in the darkness and hope in the face of hopelessness with God, though. He works all things for our good when we are faithful and seek Him with our whole heart.   I have witnessed God transform the most hopeless, dead and dysfunctional situations into beacons of hope, works of beauty and shining examples of His grace and love. 

In Matthew 25: 31-46 Jesus shares a parable with us, and we are invited to look inward to apply it.  This parable speaks to what we are called to do as followers of Christ so that we might receive our eternal reward.  How many of us can say that we have fed the hungry, given the thirsty a drink, invited a stranger in, clothed one in need, visited the sick or imprisoned?  When we do these things, Jesus says that we do them unto Him.  Have you ever noticed that it's often much easier to love a stranger than it is to love your own family?  Why is that?  The very nature of the relationship makes it easier because we don't know all of their "stuff," their baggage and flaws.  They haven't wounded us, rejected us or neglected us.  It's a clean slate.  

Did you know that we are called to love others (including our family) even when they feel like our enemies?  Matthew 5:43 -46 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?"  Wow.  That's a pretty high standard, isn't it?  But, no one ever said that being a Christian was easy.  However, it has been said that "great things are worth fighting for."  

I believe that we are called to radical love in every arena of our lives and that we must fight for it.  I believe that our marriages and families are where radical love can be demonstrated most because that is where we are tested the most.  Radical love is a love that will choose to die to self no matter what.  It's a love that puts others first.  It doesn't mean that we get to pick and choose when we will die to self.  It's not, "I will die to myself as soon as my husband dies to himself!"  It's not waiting for my needs to be met before I choose to meet the needs of another.  It's not choosing to pray for another as soon as they start praying for me.  It's not serving another under the condition that I'm shown appreciation.  It's not (fill in the blank). We all have something/s, right?  Where do you feel like God is asking you to be more radical in your love?  In what relationship/s do you hear Him asking you to die to self?  

We have a promise in scripture that we can take hold of as we attempt to meet the challenges set before us:  Philippians 4:19 "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."  We must first look to Christ for our needs to be met and for our hearts to be filled with His love.  Only then are we able to fulfill what Jesus calls us to; to give without conditions, expectation, demands, limits… to love radically.

Radical Love is a selfless adventure in trust.  Radical love is delayed gratification.  Radical love is giving with no expectation of getting.  Radical love is knowing what really matters in this life. Radical love is everything.  May we be radical.

Do you believe that God made you and your spouse for one another?  Do you believe that He brought you together in His perfect time for your mutual blessing and for His purposes?  If so, then you must agree that He has great plans for you, your spouse and for your future generations.  Confirming that you believe this, you must approach your spouse and marriage with a sense of wonder, awe and reverence.  Marriage is God's sacred gift to you both.  God has bestowed upon you a high honor and entrusted you with it. Your sacred union and your spouse's heart are precious gifts from Him.  The material honors of this world will fade but these honors have eternal implication.  It's often hard to wrap our minds around the significance of it.  There are so many layers to marriage, many are on a spiritual level with our body and mind being intertwined.  Marriages are multi-dimensional, mutually sacrificial works of art that speak volumes to the world around us.  God provides the canvas, we hold the brush. 

Strokes of true, eternal beauty are made in sacrifice.  In John 15:13-14 Jesus said, "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.  You are my friends if you do whatever I command you."  Jesus has commanded us to lay down our lives for one another.  This is not a command for a one time sacrifice but a lifetime and lifestyle of sacrificing oneself for another. It's about putting another before yourself in every way, thinking of how they feel, considering what they need, valuing what brings them joy, avoiding what brings them pain... in spite of how you feel.  This IS love.  Every time you lay down your life (your selfish desires, pride, anger, rejection, etc.) for your spouse, God will rush in with blessings for you.  He will bless you spiritually, physically and in every aspect of your life.  A marriage comprised of two people who are committed to mutual sacrifice is a beautiful and blessed example of God's love and Jesus' sacrifice for us. 

You are painting a living work of art with your choices in marriage.  What type of art are you painting?   Is it destined to hang in a hall of master works or colossal failures?  Let me remind you, it's not about past mistakes!  We mustn't be defined by them, but rather by forgiveness. You create anew with every brush stroke of love and forgiveness that graces your canvas.  The marred ugliness of past mistakes and regret vanish until one day you see only one thing: A shining example of enduring love, a master work of art.   

As Christ followers we are destined for miraculous, redemptive and glorious works of art.  Above all, may God be glorified in us and in our marriages.  May He empower us to love like Christ, for apart from Him we are incapable of even holding the brush.  

John 15:5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

There is an inherent desire in all women to have a particular aspect of their being affirmed. Women hunger for attention and crave affection. This desire often leads to compromised morals and an overly sensual appearance that inevitably results in degradation. Much of what drives a woman’s diet, activities, and schedule revolves around one question. Am I beautiful?  Women have a love hate relationship with beauty that is clearly seen in the following statistics:
91% of women are unhappy with their bodies

4% of women around the world consider themselves beautiful

72% of women feel tremendous pressure to be beautiful

1 in 4 college-aged women have an eating disorder 

So what can we do as women? How do we change our perception of ourselves? How do we look beautiful without compromising our morals?

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