Three years ago I wrote about Valentine’s Day, there were some ideas about you could explore the concept of love with your kids. That post is here.
If you are like me, you have bought some cards and gifts for tomorrow. It is not a great idea to miss this one if you are dating or married. I pretty much blew the first one after we were married.
We were fully engaged in ministry training. We were both meeting with student at Michigan State daily, leading Bible studies, sharing our faith with as many of the 1200 students in Hubbard dorm as we could get to. At about 8 PM on the way back from the dorm I realized it was Valentine’s Day and I did not have a blinking thing to give my wife of nine months.
On the way home I stopped by a store to get a card. As you can well imagine, they were picked over. The only one they had that was any good was a Hallmark Mahogany card. I got it and gave it to my bride when I got back to our one bedroom apartment. She was less than impressed. Neither one of us are of African heritage.
She kept the card.
Every now and again I hear about that card. So it did make an impression.
Give yourself more time than I did.
If you are like me, you have bought some cards and gifts for tomorrow. It is not a great idea to miss this one if you are dating or married. I pretty much blew the first one after we were married.We were fully engaged in ministry training. We were both meeting with student at Michigan State daily, leading Bible studies, sharing our faith with as many of the 1200 students in Hubbard dorm as we could get to. At about 8 PM on the way back from the dorm I realized it was Valentine’s Day and I did not have a blinking thing to give my wife of nine months.
On the way home I stopped by a store to get a card. As you can well imagine, they were picked over. The only one they had that was any good was a Hallmark Mahogany card. I got it and gave it to my bride when I got back to our one bedroom apartment. She was less than impressed. Neither one of us are of African heritage.
She kept the card.
Every now and again I hear about that card. So it did make an impression.
Give yourself more time than I did.
This is the first of many firsts in the first year after my beloved wife soared into the arms of her Lord January 11. "They" say the first year is the worst, containing so many significant dates and shared experiences without the one on earth who has meant the most to me for 45 years. I did my best to remember my four daughters and three granddaughters who each in a unique and wonderful way reflect the character and investment of their mother/grandmother. And I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to do even something little to assure them again of my love and appreciation for them.
ReplyDeleteBut I want to give HER something; to hold HER in my arms and tell HER again and again how much I love HER, how much I appreciate HER and thank God for the breathtaking beauty of both HER spirit and body, of how SHE reflects Jesus to me, how SHE has unselfishly and faithfully served her beloved Lord and me and our children.... I want to take her somewhere special, or nowhere - just to be with HER.... I just want to be WITH her; that's my great loss.
But it teaches me about my great Lover, the divine Lover of my soul. That's why He created me to begin with (Gen,1:26-28 and 2:20b-25 with 3:8), to be with me, to share the glorious world He had created. The great tragedy of our rebellion against the God who would walk with us in His garden is that we have been expelled from it, and no longer enjoy that level of intimacy - either with Him, or with our mate. What a loss!
What an inestimable wonder that now in Jesus, because of what He did, the relationship is restored; He is indeed with me. But I as a child is reported to have replied when assured of Jesus with her, "Yes, but I want someone with skin on!"
Me, too.
Yeah I am praying for you...
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