Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Be My Valentine?


Do you remember Valentine's Day in elementary school? Usually the week leading up to the blessed day was spent in preparing beautifully decorated lunch bags with red, pink and purple hearts. Cupids proverbial arrows pierced the heart of even the most cootie-phobic prepubescent. I recall all the twitter that filled the school bus and classroom corners with girls and guys beginning the most obscure analysis of supposed love notes written on three-by-five cards bearing likenesses of Scoobie-Doo and Shaggy. The favorite characters were always given to the most valued friends and persons who were the objects of infatuation.

In the end one went home with a bag full of empty Valentine's Day wishes and a mind full of doubts, hopes and "twitter-pation." The small Valentine's Cards lasted a few days maybe weeks and then there were the few secret ones that supposedly came from that "special someone." Those cards might still be floating in your box of memories. As boys grow into manhood and girls grow into independent women the thoughts and simple dreams grow into desperation and loneliness and the same sad feeling that came when one saw their heart covered lunch bag passed over by the target of their every affection.

What can we, the passed over, hope to gain from all our pining? In the end our hopes and dreams are more valuable than all the outcomes of our feeble endeavors at grasping hold of love. The more we squeeze the more the soft love substance oozes through our fingers, messes our hands and leaves us running for something to wash the shame of one sided affection from our hearts.

So, today let us celebrate the greatest example of unrequited love of all time. Jesus, the lover of all, has passed out a special Valentine's Day card for each of you and he's written it on himself and is offering himself to you. Take hold of this one and keep it with you always. The card is a seal: 2 Timothy 2:19 is Jesus saying, "Be my Valentine." What do you say in response?

No comments:

Post a Comment