What's in a Name?

As you may or may not notice, the name of the blog has changed. I've been reflecting on a lot of things in the past few weeks and in that reflection have come to realize its time to refocus this place. Authors change their titles time and time again. I'm no Jane Austen and this is no Pride and Prejudice but it's my writing. So why in the world would I choose the title "A Life Well Loved"?

When I look at my life, I am overwhelmed by the amount of love I have experienced. If the only love I had ever known was that of God, it would be more than words could ever say. He has captured every tear that I've cried and shared in every joy I've experienced. He's given me life at no cost to me and at full cost to Him. He has opened doors of opportunity and taken away what could have been the greatest pain in my life. My ashes have been exchanged for beauty. He didn't give me just His love, He gave me more. I've been abundantly blessed with a family that supports me, fights for me and along side me, and embraces me - scars and all. I've been given friends who live life with me for better or for worse and find joy in it along the way. All of these people loving me enough to push me to be more than I am. They challenge me to rise up to be more like my Jesus. I definitely have a life in when I have been loved well.

Yet, a life well loved isn't just about people. It's about the journey we're walking. I've learned what is means to look back on my life and to embrace it. I've learned how to love those moments when my heart was shattered so that only God Himself could mend it. I've learned how to love and appreciate more deeply those moments that felt like perfection. Life is made of both. Looking back, mine is one in which I wouldn't change a moment. Every tear and every laughter have brought me to now. It is a now that I am so thankful for.

So what do we do when we have experienced such great love - that of God, people, and life itself. You give it away. This is where I am - the living gift of love. At the end of it all, I want to look back and know that this life was lived for the fullness of those around me. I want this world to be a better place because Jesus did something beautiful through this ball of flesh that I find myself wrapped in. I want it to be more that a life well lived. I want it to be a life well loved.