So for the first time I stayed up for the Five Minute Friday Twitter party…so much fun! If you have Twitter, can stay up late, and participate in Five Minute Friday, you should join! Just follow #FMFParty on Thursday nights at 11 p.m. EST.
Ok details, how to’s, what to do’s, are all here on Lisa-Jo’s blog. Go visit! And if you’ve stopped over from the link up, welcome! Hang out for awhile, check out some other posts, and have a good time {grin}.
2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..
This week’s prompt:
GO:
This little girl, she has stretched me. Made my life so much bigger, fuller, wider than I thought it could ever be. Do you know what it feels like to have your heart literally grow wider with love?
When you spend years protecting your heart from hurts & scars, not letting anyone in to see the true “you” that God created because you need to please….your heart stays small. And though we are called to love, it can feel impossible to stretch your heart and protect it at the same time.
But this husband of mine, with his kind words and encouraging smile? And this little girl who has eyes that light up with joy when she see me?
The heal scars and give me grace to let the chains fall away. They let me love and me myself and figure it out along the way. They forgive when I mess it up, and in the forgiving my heart grows wider still.
I can feel it, physically changing, this heart of mine. It grows softer. Not weaker. It’s a strong mama heart that will fight for her family. But it will also open up and let others into places that were once guarded. And in the stretching, I learn to love deep, wide, and with arms open.
STOP
You’re welcome, Crystal!
{grin} thanks Mary Beth! So glad I stayed up past my bedtime to hang out at the FMF Party!
Thanks Nacole!
Thanks Tammy -it was so great to chat with you at the FMF Party!
Thank you Mindy 🙂
{hugs} thank you for the encouragement 🙂
Thanks RaZella!
Thanks for stopping by Elisha!
That was my thought too when I was writing,but in 5 minutes I had no idea how to make that reference make sense 😛
Thanks Diana!
Sounds like we have much in common. His love is melting me and causing me to expand my heart. Beautiful post Crystal!
So precious. I must confess my first thought was of the Grinch and how his heart grew 3(?) sizes that day. That too was the result of forgiveness and acceptance, though, wasn’t it?
This is beautiful. I feel the same way about motherhood and loving a man that adores me… that their love has caused my weak, small heart to grow soft and wide and capable. Glad to find you through 5 Minute Friday 🙂
The statement “it can feel impossible to stretch your heart and protect it at the same time”, how true is that! The stretch is painful, and yet, the reward is great. Greatly enjoyed reading your use of the FMF word!
This is a powerful statement: “it can feel impossible to stretch your heart and protect it at the same time.” How true! Stretching and loving require vulnerability. When we become vulnerable, protection becomes less of an issue.
Beautiful words, my friend…
A soft heart IS a strong heart! 🙂 Beautifully expressed.
Beautiful! Yes our little ones will split our hearts wide open!
My children have stretched my heart more than I could have ever thought possible. Great 5MF post!
There is nothing quite like a child to stretch us open wide! You are right on with the mama heart growing softer but not weaker. I am like a tigress when it comes to my kids. Beautiful post Crystal! 🙂
Oh how I love this friend. Just a beautiful picture of how a parent loves. Thank you so much for sharing your sweet words. Blessings!
Oh my!!! True how wide a mama’s love and arms are. This is beautiful. Blessings from 5MF.
oh YES! Even on the hardest days of parenting, my heart is stretching wide…learning more of what it means to love and feel my heart ‘burst’ for my children.
Really, truly beautiful, Crystal. A mama’s heart that fights for her family–this is the way I see myself too. I wrote on a similar theme tonight. Blessings to you and so nice to meet you– warm hugs.
That baby girl’s whole face lights up when she smiles! How could you not just burst with love as her mama? So glad that you are letting others in! I’m honored to be one that is getting to know you!