I believe God sends me Valentines all year long! Yes, they come in the shape of a heart but, HE is extremely creative! He uses the most unusual mediums. The first Valentine I received from HIM and realized was from HIM was made out of a snow covered plateau in the fly-over region somewhere between Nevada and Montana. I was sitting in my window seat, Brady on my left, flying to Montana. I looked out my window and there it was a perfectly obvious white heart that appeared to be in 3-D because it was atop a plateau. My own heart quickened as I realized just exactly what it was. It was... my creator taking a moment of HIS time to tell me HE loves me. I couldn't take my eyes off of it because I didn't want it to go away. It happened to be a few days before Valentine's Day so I had already been thinking about hearts and love. HIS timing couldn't have been better for a very simple girl to "get it." To understand what HE was trying to tell me. What HE so desperately wants us all to know! HE LOVES us.Since that first most memorable Valentine the girls and I get them from Him often. HE sent one to Riley in the form of a 20 foot fully grown green (her favorite color is green) heart-shaped tree. It shades a yard we pass everyday en route to pick up Hallie and Bailee after school. It was like HE was telling her HE loves her at the end of every Junior High day. Which, we all know how difficult those days can be.
I hesitated to share this secret at first because, I felt that it was just something between God and me (plus I thought people might think I was crazy.) Then, Hallie showed me a heart-shaped rock she found, I knew it was time to share this precious secret with my children. And now I share it with you because I know HE is sending them to you, too. You might not have noticed them yet or knew they were from HIM. But you need to know HE loves you sooo much everyday! Not just on Valentine's Day or Sundays when you go to church. HE loves us on our worst days when we fail HIM and fail others and when we fail ourselves. He loves us with a perfect love.
God is LOVE! What is LOVE? We live in a world where we have distorted it, tainted it, abused it, commercialized it and sensationalized it. We have made it conditional and temporary and convenient. We have sold it and bought it and tried to return it. It is easy to be confused on what LOVE really means. "LOVE is patient, LOVE is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." I Corinthians 13:4-7
Knowing that HE loves me this way makes me want to please HIM. He doesn't love us how we define love or how we love or by how we've been loved. HIS love is forgiving and flawless and forever. "For God so LOVED the world that HE gave his one and only SON, that whosoever believes in HIM will not perish but have eternal life!" John 3:16 That is why I am a Christian. I want to follow HIS LOVING ways. I hope you will let me know when you get a Valentine from HIM.
