A Hopeful Romantic

It's the week of Valentines Day and yes, I'm a romantic. Always have been. I remember once, while playing with my Barbies, I accidently caused Ken's arm to break off out of it's socket trying to make him hug Barbie. I'm sure some cynic would love to read something into that! But not me. No, Ken gladly gave his arm for the name of love and Barbie whole-heartedly loved him right back even with the missing appendage.

I'm all grown up now and married to a wonderful man, who, by the way, I think would also define himself as a romantic. The way we express it tends to be a bit different now after 13 years of marriage and 2 children later than it was when we were dating or even as newlyweds. We're both admittedly bad about cards. On a good year one of us remembers to get one and the other reads it and writes "ditto" or "me too" on it and signs it as well. But you know what? Just thinking of that makes me smile.

But see, I don't love Valentines Day or even the idea of "love" just because of the man I'm married to or because of the enjoyment of watching my kids fill out their Valentines Day cards or even because of all my happy memories of that day throughout the years; though all of those things are enough to fill me with warm fuzzy feelings. One of the reasons I enjoy Valentines Day so much is because it's just another reminder of the love my God has for me. That's not something I can get from Hallmark or from the local florist. It was given freely from before time began.

The things that speak love to me more than anything are quality time together and thoughtful words and actions. My God is the very definition of love. From the very beginning my romantic God created an incredible, beautiful place to spend time with His creation - us. And from that time forward, He has unashamedly pursued a relationship with us. The last several years have provided opportunities for me to see that truth. And it's been life changing. I love God because He first loved me. He said it, He proved it and He reveals it day by day. Yes, I'm a romantic, but not a hopeless one. I'm one full of hope because He redeems my past, guides my present and solidifies my future.

If you are anything like me and enjoy a little reminder of how loved you are, click on the link below to see just how special you are to Him. You are loved. Happy Valentines Day!

http://www.fathersloveletter.com/flltextenglish.html