With All My Heart

 

I heard there was a big football game yesterday. People yelling and screaming to express their love for their favorite team. In just a couple of days, people will be expressing their love for a favorite person. In both cases, a lot of money was and will be spent just to prove the point.

My earliest Valentine memories are of red construction paper hearts and white paper doilies and heart-shaped candies with messages like "Be Mine". Back in elementary school (way back in the 1950s!) we made our valentine "mailboxes" out of construction paper, or by decorating brown paper bags with construction paper hearts.

As I grew older, Valentine's Day came to be less about construction paper and more about flowers and chocolates that came in heart-shaped boxes.

Fast-forward to 1971, when I was a college student and was invited by a friend to attend a Valentine party at her church. There I met a young man who had just been discharged from his military service and had returned home. A little more than a year later, on a warm summer evening, I married that young man! We drove away from the church that evening singing along with Karen Carpenter......"We've only just begun....". For the more than fifty years we have been married, that has remained "our song".

But today, I have another song ringing in my heart. While all the world is thinking about hearts and flowers and chocolates and love, my thoughts have turned to what love is really all about. To that greatest expression of love. To the Savior who gave His life that I might have life eternal. Today, this is the song I'm singing......

With all my heart

I want to love you, Lord,

And live my life

Each day to know you more.

All that is in me

Is yours completely.

I'll serve you only

With all my heart.

(--Babbie Mason)

As we celebrate Valentine's Day this week, it is certainly true that I love my husband.......my sweetheart for all these years......and I'm so grateful for that party invitation all those years ago. He really is my Knight in Shining Armor, my very own Prince Charming!

But even more than that, I am so very grateful for my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who loved me, not because I was worthy of His love, but even though I am not. Who loved me enough to die for me! That's the best Valentine ever!

"We love because He first loved us."  (1 John 4:19 NASB)

Listen to “With All My Heart” here: https://youtu.be/Ah7DKbtLpL4

Anticipation

It’s a beautiful afternoon here in the Upstate! Which makes this a day for anticipation. Anticipating the return of warmer weather. Anticipating even more sunshine. Anticipating Spring! 

As we look around our world, we often feel the weight of gloom. Politics, cancer, viruses, the threat of war, discontent, unemployment, inflation….the list could be quite lengthy. All these things could weigh heavily on us and lead to gloom and despair.

But just like gloomy weather, these things can also be cause for anticipation. Anticipation of a better day coming. Because a better day is ahead. 

“This world is passing away…..” (1 John 2:17).

This world, with its stress and gloom, is not all there is. For those who belong to Christ, there is a far better day coming. Let’s focus our attention there. Let’s anticipate!

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” (Titus 2:13)