Hello all, I am praying that God makes himself real for you and your spouse this week as we approach Valentine's Day. Trust me, I know how hard it can be being without your spouse on any holiday or any day for that matter. Valentine's Day is a day to show the ones you love just how much you love them, but how do we show someone we love them when they have no outward desire to see it? Well, if your spouse is like mine, they are closed off to anything that resembles love coming from you, so no matter what we do physically for them, we won't see the reaction we want to see as standers. So I will ask again, what can we do to show them we love them? The answer is simple: we pray for them and continue to have faith in God and not give up on our marriages.
What better way to show love than to continue to follow our God and stand in the gap for our spouses' life and salvation so they can see God's love when He is ready to reveal it to them. Let's go one step further and not just show our love for our spouses, but show God's love to everyone we come across.
I am going to share a story that should bring you back to your childhood.
Susan was in fifth grade and excited about Valentine's Day, finally she was going to show Jeffrey, the little boy who sat in front of her in class, that she liked him and how she dreamed of holding his hand during lunch. As her mother and she were shopping for Valentine's Day cards for her little crush, Susan's mind wondered what she would write on the card. Should she get Barbie cards or Care Bear cards? Maybe she should just get the ones with hearts. Susan's mom stepped in and said, "Susan, I want you to get this pack for your class." As Susan looked at them, her heart sank. Yes, they were colorful cards, but none of them had "I love you" or anything. They were all cheesy little cards saying "you're very special" with a bear holding a heart. Well, being that her mom was paying for them, she had no choice but to agree.
Susan took the cards in her room and started writing names on the envelopes for the kids in her class and saved the most special card she could find for Jeffrey. As the night grew later, Susan started to fall asleep on her bedroom floor with a pen in her hand and cards spread out on the floor.
"Susan, wake up, you're going to be late for school," Susan heard her mom call.
Susan jumped up in a panic, running to her closet to change. She grabbed all the cards on the floor and noticed she hadn't written anything on Jeffrey's card yet. She started looking for a pen when her mom yelled out, "Hurry, the bus is here."
Susan would have to wait until school to write on it. She hurried out and got on the bus.
As class started, the little voices of children giddy and excited about candy and cards filled the air, and the teacher called out, "Ok, everyone, let's pass out your cards for everyone." Susan's heart skipped a beat, remembering she hadn't put anything on the card for Jeffrey. She didn't want him to see her write it right then and there, so she decided to wait until lunch and give it to him later, one on one. As she passed out her cards, she came across Billy's desk and saw nothing on it. She wasn't surprised; Billy was mean, dirty, and always smelled funny, which is why she didn't make a card for him. She started to walk to the next desk when something in her heart started to feel sad. She thought, "Well, everyone should get something; no one deserves to have an empty desk today." She looked over at Jeffrey's desk and saw cards piled up. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the card for Jeffrey, which read "you are very special and cared for bunches" and had a bunch of grapes with a face. She set it on Billy's desk and thought, "It isn't signed, so at least no one will know who it's from." She then sat at her desk feeling bummed out but yet felt good inside. As the class settled down, she looked over at Billy's desk and saw him staring at the card with tears in his eyes. Susan knew he was sad because he only got one card, but then she saw him smile and quietly put the card in his pocket.
Well, Susan didn't know that Billy's mom had left Billy's dad and brothers and sisters for another man, and Billy's dad struggled so badly he lost his job and was having to live in a homeless shelter with his family. Billy couldn't help but feel it was somehow his fault, even though everyone said it wasn't. No one liked Billy because he was dirty, and mean; he was mean because he didn't want anyone to get close to him to hurt him. In fact, Billy was planning on killing himself that day, but that one act of kindness opened his heart. He forgot how it felt to be cared for and thought of. That one little card changed a boy's life that day; it even saved his life.
One act of God's love can do so much more than you think. It was one gift from God that saved all of mankind, John 3:16: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.
So this Valentine's Day, let's ask God to be our Valentine and then show whoever we come across how much God loves them. You never know it may just save a life, be an answer to prayer for someone. Yes, we are hurting and praying for our spouses, but just know there may be someone out there who is in need of a kind word because they feel empty and unloved. We know we are loved; God shows us daily when our eyes are open. Let's help others open their eyes to God's love.
Thank you and God bless.
What better way to show love than to continue to follow our God and stand in the gap for our spouses' life and salvation so they can see God's love when He is ready to reveal it to them. Let's go one step further and not just show our love for our spouses, but show God's love to everyone we come across.
I am going to share a story that should bring you back to your childhood.
Susan was in fifth grade and excited about Valentine's Day, finally she was going to show Jeffrey, the little boy who sat in front of her in class, that she liked him and how she dreamed of holding his hand during lunch. As her mother and she were shopping for Valentine's Day cards for her little crush, Susan's mind wondered what she would write on the card. Should she get Barbie cards or Care Bear cards? Maybe she should just get the ones with hearts. Susan's mom stepped in and said, "Susan, I want you to get this pack for your class." As Susan looked at them, her heart sank. Yes, they were colorful cards, but none of them had "I love you" or anything. They were all cheesy little cards saying "you're very special" with a bear holding a heart. Well, being that her mom was paying for them, she had no choice but to agree.
Susan took the cards in her room and started writing names on the envelopes for the kids in her class and saved the most special card she could find for Jeffrey. As the night grew later, Susan started to fall asleep on her bedroom floor with a pen in her hand and cards spread out on the floor.
"Susan, wake up, you're going to be late for school," Susan heard her mom call.
Susan jumped up in a panic, running to her closet to change. She grabbed all the cards on the floor and noticed she hadn't written anything on Jeffrey's card yet. She started looking for a pen when her mom yelled out, "Hurry, the bus is here."
Susan would have to wait until school to write on it. She hurried out and got on the bus.
As class started, the little voices of children giddy and excited about candy and cards filled the air, and the teacher called out, "Ok, everyone, let's pass out your cards for everyone." Susan's heart skipped a beat, remembering she hadn't put anything on the card for Jeffrey. She didn't want him to see her write it right then and there, so she decided to wait until lunch and give it to him later, one on one. As she passed out her cards, she came across Billy's desk and saw nothing on it. She wasn't surprised; Billy was mean, dirty, and always smelled funny, which is why she didn't make a card for him. She started to walk to the next desk when something in her heart started to feel sad. She thought, "Well, everyone should get something; no one deserves to have an empty desk today." She looked over at Jeffrey's desk and saw cards piled up. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the card for Jeffrey, which read "you are very special and cared for bunches" and had a bunch of grapes with a face. She set it on Billy's desk and thought, "It isn't signed, so at least no one will know who it's from." She then sat at her desk feeling bummed out but yet felt good inside. As the class settled down, she looked over at Billy's desk and saw him staring at the card with tears in his eyes. Susan knew he was sad because he only got one card, but then she saw him smile and quietly put the card in his pocket.
Well, Susan didn't know that Billy's mom had left Billy's dad and brothers and sisters for another man, and Billy's dad struggled so badly he lost his job and was having to live in a homeless shelter with his family. Billy couldn't help but feel it was somehow his fault, even though everyone said it wasn't. No one liked Billy because he was dirty, and mean; he was mean because he didn't want anyone to get close to him to hurt him. In fact, Billy was planning on killing himself that day, but that one act of kindness opened his heart. He forgot how it felt to be cared for and thought of. That one little card changed a boy's life that day; it even saved his life.
One act of God's love can do so much more than you think. It was one gift from God that saved all of mankind, John 3:16: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.
So this Valentine's Day, let's ask God to be our Valentine and then show whoever we come across how much God loves them. You never know it may just save a life, be an answer to prayer for someone. Yes, we are hurting and praying for our spouses, but just know there may be someone out there who is in need of a kind word because they feel empty and unloved. We know we are loved; God shows us daily when our eyes are open. Let's help others open their eyes to God's love.
Thank you and God bless.
