My Valentine

“Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway.”  – Proverbs 8:34

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What do I get the man beyond my dreams?  The one who has filled my undeserving heart so completely.  Do I prepare a special meal, or buy him chocolates? No, they won’t do.  Perhaps a love letter.  Yes!  I’ll spill my soul onto paper, and speak of the ways he’s changed me, moved me – loved me.  Yes, a love letter covered with adoring hearts, professing my love, is exactly what he’d want.

 

That was my intent.  To sit down, and write a love letter to Jesus this Valentine’s Day.  Yet, before I began, I came across a verse that really hit me:

 

“If you love me, keep my commands.” (John 14:15)

 

Then I got it.  Jesus doesn’t need my love letter, he desires me to love him through following his commands.  So what does that mean?  Well, the first and greatest commandment is to, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37)

 

Okay, I think I love him like that…right?

 

Honestly? I don’t.  I tend to love him through his servants.

 

See, I’ll love him in church when the pastor speaks, or on the radio while an artist sings, and I can especially love him through the Christian books I read, but I make little time to love him through the pages of his Book.

 

I must learn to love him – heart, soul, and mind, on his Word, not on the inspiration of others.

 

Don’t get me wrong, there’s a place for listening and learning from those who serve him, but nothing should take the place of his Holy Word.

 

How can I love him with everything I have if I don’t meet him in Joseph’s story, or Daniel’s, or David’s?  How can I surrender wholly to him without walking personally through Hebrews or James?  How can I learn to praise him when the pages of Psalm remain closed?

 

Wisdom is called a treasure worth seeking, and God promises many things if we would only search for it, turn an ear towards it, and call out for it.  “Esteem her (wisdom), and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you.  She will set a garland of grace on your head and present you with a crown of splendor.” (Proverbs 4:8-9)

 

God’s Word gets us past our simple ways, and onto straight and even paths.  No stumbling, just gleaming sunrises, that keep on shining brighter. (Proverbs 4:18)

 

Now that’s something to hope for.

 

You know, we speak of tithing our resources as an act of obedience, but what if we also tithed our time for Jesus?  Not only to serve, but to sit at his feet, and not only to proclaim, but to ponder his ways.

 

Let us give Jesus something that is so precious to us – our time.  “Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom.  Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” (Proverbs 4:7)

 

God knows what he’s asking.  He understands what it will take, “But whoever loves God is known by God.” (1 Corinthians 8:3) And to love God is to know him, and only through his Word can that truly be done.

 

So my valentine to Jesus isn’t a lofty poem, or smitten words of devotion covered in rosy hearts and lace.

 

My valentine is the grit of my days.

 

The mess I’ll set aside to gain wisdom.  Wisdom that conquers fears, offers hope, and protects the way of the faithful.  Won’t you join me?

 

Lord, thank you for your Word, and for calling me to you.  I long to know you – to love you.  Give me peace to let go of what bogs me down, so that I can grow in the wisdom and understanding of your ways.  Amen.