Covenant benefits

As annoying as he is to play games with, every once and awhile my husband says something profound. Last night was one of those times. I have been feeling, well, sort of nasty. I've just been glad I've had the dog around to direct some of my aggression towards. My legs hurt, my tummy hurts, my head hurts. I've been generally uncomfortable, grumpy and sort of worthless for the last week or so. Far from Princess Peach as a wife, I feel more like a cross between a hippopotamus and a porcupine. Maybe no one else goes through times like this, but for me, I had been feeling pretty ugly and undeserving of love. This had given way to a vicious cycle. I am mean, I feel unworthy of love, I stop receiving love and then I feel unloved. When my husband would try to offer words of praise and acts of love, it was hard for me to accept. Last night I basically told him, "Look, I have been so grumpy, nasty, and helpless, how can you mean it when you say that you love me?" His response, "Some decisions you make and you just don't revisit. I decided a long time ago to love you. I love you." There you go. Profound. Today I was reading in Psalms 23:6 "Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." As I glanced down in the study notes I saw that "goodness and love" frequently refer to covenant benefits. Covenant benefits? We aren't a society big on covenant, but there seems something big here. I often see glimpses of God in his creation. I see Him in his people. Through acts of compassion I see the tender heart of God's love. Through those who give their lives for truth, I see His justice. In my husband, his words and deeds, I can see the steadfastness of God. God has decided to love us. He has given us his love, his covenant. He made that decision a long time ago. Whatever we do, whatever we have done, that does not change his love for us. "Goodness and Love" - covenant benefits. I'm so glad.