How Do I Love Thee?

"The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee." Jeremiah 31:3

Good morning, ladies!

I love Valentine's Day!  I know many people deplore its commercialism, but otherwise February is to me just a speed bump on the way to warmer weather and getting back outside.

Besides, what could better than setting aside a whole day to tell those close to you that you love them?  

So, men everywhere who are reading this blog, consider this your two week warning.   Don't miss it, and don't mess it up for the special ladies in your lives.

Ladies, you too!  Woo your man this month.

Okay, now, let's get serious.

I thought it would be fun the next two weeks to do a countdown to Valentine's with thoughts about, what else, LOVE?

I think it's a shame, that as rich as the French language is in so many ways, there is really only one word for love, which is the same word for like or have an attachment to.  Sometimes people use the word "adore" to show an extreme liking toward, but I prefer to reserve that word for God alone.  So, a French person can love a chocolate eclair, love their dog, love a sports team and love their families with the same word.  The idea of "like" doesn't really exist in French--it's all just love!

Isn't it the same way with God?  God doesn't have to tell us He "likes" us (even though He does.)  When God talks about us, He reminds us of His love:  His unfailing, unconditional, sacrifical, perfect love.

One of my favorite verses about God's love for me is Jeremiah 31:3.  I love how God, during the midst of one of the tumultuous times in the history of Israel--the captivity of the Jewish nation by Babylon--reminds His people that the horrors they are experiencing, even though they are the results of deliberate sin in their lives, are not without His notice, and are not forever.  God wants His great love for them to sustain them during their trials.

Here are some "nuggets" in that verse, just for me today:

1.  God's love is personal!  "I have loved thee..."
2.  God's love is eternal.  He loved me before I existed, while I strayed in sin, and will love me into eternity.
3.  God "likes" me, too!  He wanted me close, so He drew me in.
4.  God's love is rooted in His goodness.  I cannot disassociate the two--my God is always good to me.

Whatever I face today, I am reminded of God's personal love for me, and that should be enough to sustain me through the trials God allows me to experience today.

In return, I can show this love to those around me today, a personal, sacrificial, all-encompassing love that only God can produce in me.

Who can I love on today?  Let's start with you, dear friends!  Take "heart:" God's love is real today!