It’s February, mamas! You know what that means…Valentine’s Day. It’s seven days away. Just enough time to run to Walmart and grab some chocolates and those sweet little Valentine cards for your kids to pass out at their classroom parties.
Truth be told, V-day candy-coats my heart in pink, iridescent bliss. I am quite a romantic, and I have been since the time I was young. I relished reading romance novels (Sweet Valley High, anyone?), and I remember every single one of the boys I crushed on. But growing up in the church, I had a bit of angst about my passionate heart. I mean, could a nice Christian girl who loved Jesus still love boys?
One day, at the ripe old age of nine, I decided to have a chat with Jesus about it. Jesus, do you really love me? Just as I am? Can I love you with my whole heart and love boys too? Because if it’s okay, I want you to give me a sign. Satisfied that Jesus (or at least an angel or two) heard me, I rolled over in my bed and went to sleep.
I forgot all about my prayer…until the next day. While frantically digging through my desk for some crayons, a small card gracefully whooshed out and arched to rest near my shoe. I knelt down and picked it up. It had a pink heart on it—and two kittens sharing the heart with a sweet little declaration of undying love. At the bottom, it said, “To Amy, Love Jim.”
Jim sat in the desk directly in front of me. I never really paid much attention to him. Turns out he was quite a romantic too, because it wasn’t even Valentine’s Day. It was April!
I don’t have a happily-ever-after end to this story. Jim and I never dated—nor did we even acknowledge the card. (As fourth graders, we were still “working on communication” about matters of the heart.) What is significant is that this event was foundational in shaping my perspective of love. Here’s what I learned:
Love comes from God—especially romantic love.
Jesus heard my prayers—even the ones that I deemed insignificant.
It was okay to love—even to love boys!
And most importantly, it was okay to receive love.
Romantic love comes from God
It’s common knowledge that God loves us and that He created romantic love. But it took one of His tender lessons (via Jim) for my heart to receive that truth. I learned that it’s actually God who is girl crazy—that is, crazy for me.
This Valentine’s Day, amidst all of the fun, take a few moments to sit and receive God’s overwhelming, passionate, pink iridescent-blissed-out love. He’s crazy about you!
How will you teach your kids about God’s overwhelming love for them this Valentine’s Day? Take a moment to share below!
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