First of all….happy valentine’s day!
This day is always kind of odd to me. Blake and I have never really celebrated it. He has been deployed on most Valentine’s days and if I’m being honest, I’m just not really into all the cheesy stuff. Don’t get me wrong… I love getting chocolate and seeing everyone’s cute pictures but it’s definitely not my favorite holiday. But if it is yours then that’s awesome too!
But since it is the day of loooovvveee, let’s talk about it! On my morning drive to work is where I usually talk to God the most. It should probably be a lot more of me listening to God, but I do most of the talking. I usually start with the Lord’s prayer and then thank Him for the many many things He has done for me. Then I usually hash out the hard stuff going on in my life. It usually concludes with me saying… alright God. You are in control. Not me. Your will and not mine. But please help me to have a peace about it. The other day, as I was in the middle of talking with God, I started to ponder some things. I had love on my mind because not only is it February, but I started a new devotional about loving people (Live in Grace. Walk in Love. by Bob Goff…so good). It has really opened my mind about God’s love and how intentional it is and how we are to display that love. I seriously was so mind blown that morning thinking about it. So many people that I know have such a personal and intentional relationship with God. I thought about the relationships that I have with people. I maybe have two or three that are really personal and intentional and about five or six that I try to make personal and intentional but if I’m being honest,I’m really not that great at it. It’s hard enough to have a personal and intentional relationship with my fiance’. It takes so much time and thought and it’s just plain hard. Life gets in the way most of the time. So it was crazy to me to think about how God could have this type of relationship with millions and millions of people. MIND BLOWN. That He shows love in the best way to so many.. 2 Chronicles 6:14 says “O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven or on earth, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to your servants who walk before you with all their heart.” The definition for steadfast means “resolutely or dutifully firm and unwavering”. I love the words firm and unwavering. When I think of this I think of how no matter what I do that God is there and loves me anyways. Which is amazing because… wow… I fail him every single day. He has this love for each and every one of us. I don’t know about you, but even the people that I love the most aren't always shown steadfast and unwavering love. My love tends to sometimes be a roller coaster. To take from this, know that even if you don’t have a valentine today, you are intentionally loved by a God who will never stop loving you. He is the best Valentine you can have. If you do have a Valentine, look to those who don’t. Show love to a friend today. 1 John 4:7-8 says “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” I read this verse the other day and it hit me pretty hard. There are some people that I need to do a better job at loving. If I claim to know God, then I need to love, because God is love. It’s that simple yet that hard. Know that no matter what your circumstance is today, whether you have a valentine or not, whether your valentine is you child, your best friend, or your spouse, or whether you love today or wish it would just end, I am praying for you. I am praying that you are shown love not only today but everyday and that you can reciprocate that love to someone else. Happy Valentine’s Day!