A Remarkable Love Letter
February 14th has passed. The flowers and chocolates are probably gone for women in relationships or marriages. The cards are no longer out on the kitchen counters or fridges. However, for single women, the questions of “When will I get married?” or “Can anyone love me?” or “Will I have another single Valentine’s Day next year?” are still in their minds.
I remember those days, with those questions, even back in high school, when I dreaded Valentine’s Day because I knew I wouldn’t get a carnation someone bought for me to be delivered to my classroom. As a woman in my 20s, however, I started to get jaded. Each bad relationship led to more hurt, causing my heart to be closed off and, frankly, bitter.
Yet, God changed me when I was 29, starting a healing process as I entered the faith God gives because He is good. I encountered Him on a beach in the early morning hours and knew His love for me was better, more significant, and fuller than anything or anyone else's.
In my 30s, I started doing fun things for Valentine’s Day, such as baking for my co-workers or having a “Secret Valentine” with all my single friends. I could see couples and be happy for them, not wondering how long before their relationship fell apart.
Despite everything, I still desired a relationship, which didn’t happen until I was 40. God used these years to help me see the abundance of His love for me, which in turn opened my heart to be entirely devoted to Him. Now, I see and feel His presence in uncountable ways.
I think of the words of David in Psalm 69:13.
“But as for me, my prayer is to You, O Lord, in the acceptable time; O God, in the multitude of Your mercy, Hear me in the truth of Your salvation.”
Psalm 69:13
I know that God hears and answers my prayers out of His love and mercy for me. In quiet times of prayer, I feel such intimacy and devotion to the Lord that it brings peace and strength. Other times, it happens in moments of prayer with others, when He uses their words to humble and guide me and gives His words in my heart to share with them.
When life is good or bad, I know I have reasons to praise Him. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 instructs,
“In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18
I feel His love and comfort wrap around me when I am hurting and broken from bad news or the hurt of others I love. Yet, I also feel His love for me in joyful times when I receive good news or a blessing from Him, when the world around me seems to have more color, and when laughter lightens my heart.
“That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
Ephesians 3:17-19
I know God is with me because of His love, in all moments of my life. He is near when I feel alone and like no one can know or understand what I am going through, smiling through the pain even though the smile never reaches my eyes. Just as real, He is amidst all joyful moments when He surprises me with His goodness and generosity, leading me to a place of worship to Him for His lovingkindness.
When I read the Bible and enter into His presence, I think of Psalm 63:1:
“O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You.”
Psalm 63:1
Whether I seek His Word during rushed mornings or when I can just sit and be in His presence without time restrictions or distractions, my heart desires communion with Him, a longing that can only come from Him, for Him, and through Him.
Last but certainly not least, the Scriptures tell me how to love God. In Matthew 22:37, Jesus said,
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”
Matthew 22:37
God desires all of us, but more astounding is that He gives us all of Himself.
God’s love, mercy, grace, forgiveness, and kindness are all written on every page of the Bible. Through it, we get a glimpse of the Father’s love, an eternal, all-encompassing love that is not dependent on us but is, instead, freely given. Through Scripture, we can be part of the most remarkable love story ever told, a story of redemption, sacrifice, and newness that culminated in the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Every passage, verse, and word in Scripture is a love letter personally and intentionally written by God to each of us.