Week 2 of February…LOVE is in the air
Do you remember that awkward moment of sifting through the little candy hearts at valentine’s day, wondering which one to give to Tammy Bell, or Kendra Dawson, or Cherie Wilcox, or more importantly Mrs. Soyez? Well, you wouldn’t know that awkward moment because those people weren’t in your life, but you can replace those names with your own and have the same story, I assume. Let’s get real, I absolutely didn’t want to send the wrong message to Tammy Bell, who I secretly had a crush on, but had felt I was way out of her league and didn’t want to get beat up by Larry (why does Larry always give you a picture of a big farm kid with his own zip code?). The same is true with Kendra, who liked me, but was at least a foot taller than I and eventually played volleyball for K-State; it was never going to work out. Things could go really bad with these little hearts! Are you with me?
As I sifted through the hearts I couldn’t find a suitable heart for Mrs. Soyez, my sixth grade teacher at Cottonwood Falls elementary. The fact that I was giving her a heart, was like sinning in church, let alone giving her a heart that said, “ur cute”, or, “my star”, or, “soul mate”! Everything I looked at was a disaster waiting to happen, and I didn’t want to send the wrong message. I mean seriously, she was in her sixties and too tall for me anyway.
Inevitably, every year the 3rd week of February I had to fight off the awkward stares of “that girl” in class that got the wrong message on her heart from me. You know the stare, the stare that silently screams, “I didn’t know you felt that way about me, but I SURE am glad you do.” In my mind I would scream, “Noooooooo!”
My children, like millions of others, give little messages to their friends around this time of year and have to muddle through the same sense of awkwardness you and I had to. Although valentines day seems to be reserved for those people in your life that you have an affection for, why not expand that to the people that you have, well, an un-affection for. Maybe the idea could be expanded beyond the spouse, significant other and family. Maybe it could be expanded to a co-worker, a good friend, or maybe even the people in your life you feel have wronged you, and you secretly can’t muster any gushy words of affection for them.
[8] Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. (Romans 13:8 ESV)
What a great opportunity to mend our broken hearts. What a fantastic opportunity you have to mend your own, by your willingness to go the extra mile and give them your heart. The bible speaks specifically in passages about forgiveness and love, but also speaks in overviews and hidden messages that will make your head spin. For example, I like the gospels because the story lines of the characters seem to speak to me in very practical ways. One of the guys I love is John the Evangelist. That’s what they called him back then. I like John because when he wrote his biographical essay about Jesus, he kept putting himself in the story; only he didn’t call himself John, he called himself the one whom Jesus loved. Now if you read the story lines of John you will see he gets tortured and beat up and thrown into prison. Not at all the storyline of the one whom Jesus loved. God doesn’t call us to love because life is good and we have been treated well, but to ask Him for the faith that only He can give that will allow you to love, even when it’s awkward.
[13] For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. (Galatians 5:13 ESV)
This is what love does, true Agape love, or God saturated love will cause us to feel connected and therefore ambitious to love and be loved no matter what the awkwardness might be in the moment. No candy heart can express what your own words, your own personal touch, your own email, text, or simple hand written card can do.
Mend your heart by choosing to love. Help others to mend their hearts by your God saturated love and reach out of your awkwardness and into blessing others.
Love God, Love People,
Pastor Donnie
