As we are celebrating Valentine’s Day, I am compelled to write on the subject of love. Social media will be filled with posts depicting all the fabulous ways people express their love for each other on this special day of LOVE. Oh, the anticipation! Oh, how we wait to see if our expectations are met! Oh, the value we place in the declarations made on this one day!

I am a typical woman. I enjoy expressions of love from my husband on Valentine’s Day. And while it is all so sweet, I try to keep my focus on the expressions of love that I receive all throughout the year….you know, the ones that can so easily be taken for granted.

I am so very loved by my hubby. He makes sure I know it every single day. He is the cook in our family, and is always eager to make sure our taste buds are delighted. He is quick with a compliment. He brings me flowers “just to make me smile”. He gets up every morning and makes my “morning concoction”… a health drink we are trying to be diligent about. He never gets tired of holding my hand. Unlike a lot of husbands I know, he never wants time alone, but always wants more time with me. He hates to go to bed without me, and will watch my sappy Hallmark movies just to get to sit together and cuddle. He is always trying to make me laugh with his strange sense of humor, and he does his best to keep me from over complicating my schedule. His is my biggest supporter and greatest source of encouragement. I never doubt for a moment that I am loved.

As much as I am loved by this special man, I also know that I am loved even more by my Father in heaven. After all, He is the One who brought this man into my life. He also blessed me with my children, and this beautiful life I live. Oh, how He loves me! Oh, how He loves you! “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8. There is just no greater love than that.

How can we ever repay a God who loves us so greatly? The best way we can honor Him is to love him with all of our hearts and to love one another.
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.” 1 John 4:7  This is not just a good idea….it is a commandment straight from the Almighty, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” John 15:12

It is my belief that before we can experience fully the love of others, we must fully experience the love of God. It is through that unique relationship with Him, that love like no other, that our hearts are opened to their fullest capacity. Once our hearts are opened to the love of God, they are ready to receive the love of others in a way that has so much meaning and completeness.

So, celebrate LOVE today. Celebrate LOVE everyday. Take time to thank God for loving us so much that He sacrifice his son for our sins. Open your heart to Him and take all the love, grace, and compassion He has to offer. Then enjoy those He brings into your lives. Love them, appreciate them, hold them close. Stop and take notice of the little things, and appreciate them with a new sense of importance.

Don’t celebrate love only in the days set aside for that purpose, but celebrate it EVERY DAY!

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