Happy Valentine’s Day!

By Maria Fontaine

February 14, 2012

Audio length: 3:05

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When I think about Valentine’s Day, a day that’s best known as a time when people give special love gifts to each other, I think most of all of God’s great, sacrificial gift to us in the form of His son, Jesus. Then I think of how all the love that we have to give to others on Valentine’s Day—and every day of the year—is possible because of His love. There’s no time for Him that isn’t a time to give. I want to follow His example as much as I can.

I found a poem that was very meaningful to me and expresses some of the gifts we receive from our great Valentine every day of the year. When our love cups are overflowing with His gifts, it makes us want to share that love with others so they can experience it, too.

Here’s the poem:

He doesn’t send me roses,
For He is my Rose of Sharon.
Nor does He leave flowers at my door,
For He grows them in my garden.
He doesn’t kiss my lips,
For He caresses my entire being with the touch of warm sunshine and softly falling rain.
He doesn’t give me sparkling diamonds to wear,
For He set the sparkling stars in the night sky and made them mine.
He doesn’t whisper in my ear,
For His still, small voice fills my spirit and is ever with me.
He isn’t a Valentine who has pledged lifelong love,
For He is eternal love.
He isn’t limited to only sending gifts or making sweet promises,
For He Himself is the ultimate gift and fulfillment of promise.
He won’t fill my life by standing at the wedding altar with me.
For He placed Himself on the altar, that I may know life, that I may know Him,
That I may love Him forever.^{^[1]}

Our dear Jesus is our ultimate valentine, the one who has given us limitless love and who loves it when we help Him communicate that love to others, both today and always. Happy Valentine’s Day!

^{^[1]} Adapted from a poem by Janice K. Lawrence.