Love Is In the Air

Ahh, the Meaning of Love...

The American Heritage Dictionary defines (Saint) Valentine's Day like this: "February 14, celebrated in various American and European countries by the exchange of valentines or love tokens. Also called Valentine's Day." ---Factual and succinct, I would say.

For Charlie Brown, this day marks an endless need for the attention and affection of the Pretty Little Redhead. ---Sweet and adorable, Charlie Brown.

In an online romance class, they described what most of of have heard the meaning of Valentine's Day to be: "Saint Valentine was a Roman who was killed for his faith on February 14, 269 A.D. He had refused to worship pagan gods, and some stories say he was a priest who would marry young couples in secret who loved each other but who did not have parental permission. In 496, his 'saint day' was established. He is associated with love because he fell in love with the daughter of his jailer, and would pass notes to her. His final note, before he was executed, read 'from your Valentine'."--- Sad, classic, and inspiring to me.

Ahh, love. These are all wonderful concepts to read about and share with others. But there is a love out there that surpasses these all to an immeasurable level. The love of our sovereign God. The love of our Savior Christ.

To think on a daily basis all of the ways that I fail myself, my daughter, my husband, my family; it is almost depressing. But to take it even further and realize that even more than my family, I am failing our God each and every day. Sure, I am trying not to. I try every minute to remain strong in my Walk and faithful to my Father. But even so, even though I am constantly failing, and constantly will get back up and fail again, my Father, your Father, our God still loves me. It truly amazes me.

I love to hear all of the love stories during this time of year. The couple that have been faithfully married for 75+ years and still holding hands. The couple that met by chance just weeks ago and cannot take their eyes off of each other. Love is almost euphoric in nature and it's something we all crave and long to experience.

I am blessed. I get to experience love every day. I have a husband who loves me. I have a daughter who loves me. I have a family that loves me. I live in a country that fights for me. But most of all, I have the Holy Lord, our God, that loves me.

I have zero doubt that 50 years from now if my life is unfinished here on earth, I will be in a wooden rocking chair with my loving husband rocking right beside me. ---I have no doubt that 25 years from now, I will be blessed to see Jaiden look into her own husband's eyes and experience love for herself. ---I have no doubt that 5 years from now, I will experience a new love for God's creation as we move ourselves to Montana and breathe in mountain air each morning. And I am so happy that I can be confident in that right now, my Father in Heaven is looking down on me with the only the Love that He can give.

Love is a wonderful thing. It is a gift given by our Ultimate Valentine. There is no one that will ever love you more. There is no way He could ever want to love us less.

I hope that Valentine's Day 2007 can mark as a reminder of all of the love you have in your life. Whether it is the love tokens, chasing a red-haired little girl, or dying for a cause, that makes you think of Valentine's Day...they are all so sweet and we will continue to be intrigued by the stories... Remember the One Who defines love: God, the Maker, the Beloved, Everlasting Life....our Lord.

I pray that He has his loving arms wrapped around you today... Happy Valentine's Day 2007.

Jods