True Love

My husband isn't much into Valentine's Day. I'm sorry to say he is indeed one of those downers who calls it a corporate-invented holiday that forces people to buy stuff. Whether there is truth to that or not, Valentine's Day no doubt makes us think about love. Who we love, why we love them, maybe our lacking in the love department... but I've been reminded this week who loved us first.

(that cloud is legit - amazes me every time!)

The Bible tells us that God is Love. Not only is He Himself love, but He has expressed it to us in it's truest form and commands us to do likewise. Jesus said, "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." (John 15:12-13) And this directive is not as difficult when you know wholeheartedly that the Creator of the Universe loved you first: "We love because he first loved us." (1 John 4:19)

Being the dork I am, let's pretend we're back in English class. If I was asked to identify the main theme of the entire Bible, I would confidently answer with one word: LOVE. One little verse sums up not only the Bible, but love, life, and everything in between for me...

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us"  

(1 John 3:16a)

If you walk into Hallmark this week (which my husband probably will not do  haha), you can clearly see how obsessed our world is with love. We LOVE love, but do we really live love in our day-to-day? 

Sometimes it's hard for me to grasp that as much as I love my husband, or even as much as I love my children, God loves them so much more. I could never love them as much as He does, no matter how much I tried!  

This Valentine's Day we are bound to be disappointed by someone. Now I don't say that to be a V-day downer like Doug, but to remember we are just people. The hard truth is we can not love as well as the One who is Love. And so our relationship with Him needs to be our most treasured relationship, the only one we put our complete trust in. 

HE. LOVES. ME.  It's taken me awhile to be able to confidently say those three words and I don't think I'll ever really get it or understand why .. but Love is who God is, and He doesn't contradict Himself. 

Remember your not-so-secret admirer this Valentine's Day 

and show Him some love back 

(listen and meditate on these awesome lyrics with me)