The True Spirit of Valentine's Day

My family experienced some minor medical drama the week between Christmas and New Year's while traveling out of state. On one of my many trips to the drug store, I had to stop dead in my tracks. I was perusing the Christmas decorations and wrapping paper on clearance. I turned around to look for more, and was faced with a shelf full of boxes of Valentine's cards that children will use to declare love for classmates. Before the confetti of the New Year's holiday is swept up, the shelves in stores are fully stocked with hearts, balloons, and all manner of Valentine props and paraphernalia.

 Maybe it's age, maybe it's motherhood, maybe it's global warming, but I don't think of Valentine's Day the same way that I did as a young, single woman or newlywed. Valentine's Day is a fun, light-hearted opportunity to lavish love on those around you, but life has shown me that love rarely looks like the front of a Hallmark card.

Love is not running along a beach hand in hand. Love holds the flashlight in the middle of the night, make-up long gone and tempers flaring, holding your tongue while your sweetie attempts an emergency home repair. Love isn't demonstrated by dewy eyes across a candlelit meal, but rather by one more run to the doctor or pharmacy when you are exhausted beyond reasonable or rational thought.

Valentine's Day lends itself to romance. Romance is wonderful and exciting, but won't take you very far when the stomach bug hits, or your "Love Shack" floods, or one of your parents is critically ill and/or dies. Romance will not be found in any of those situations, but love is there larger than life. Love brings the cool wash cloth again and again for the stomach bug, and mops and covertly repairs damaged keepsakes during the flood, and cries and holds and works and loves with an ill family member.

Love is not rose petals and champagne, but aching backs and work gloves. Love at my house never dances in an evening gown or tuxedo, but love supplies the elbow grease, the patience, the encouragement, and the clean clothes to face each day and, Lord willin' a comforting place to come home to when the day seems to come out on top. Love is holding tight when no words will fix it, and tears the only language uttered.

Love is not a polished, glimmery state. Love is messy, inconvenient, and frustrating. Love is giving up the last ounce of energy, sleep, time, or chocolate for the well-being of another. Love isn't found in romantic restaurants or destinations, but in hospital waiting rooms, the lobby of funeral homes, and kneeling in prayer next to race-car or princess beds in the middle of the night. Love is less about flowers and cartoon hearts, and everything about the value of another soul on this planet. I guess that's a little harder to put on the side of a coffee mug.

I will play along this Valentine's Day, like all the others, and I certainly hope for you to feel cherished on that day. But, later in the year when the toilet overflows while the drama at school comes to a boiling point and work causes too many demands to keep everyone civil, love will be there with a plunger, Kleenex for the tears, and hugs, pats, and kisses for all the things the plunger and Kleenex won't fix. Consider that your own Valentine's Day -- but don't look for Hallmark to make a card for it anytime soon.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

Sarah Stirman
McKinney, Texas

Your Kingdom Come

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:9-10)

What I control and where I exert my will is my kingdom.   Our kingdoms take many shapes and forms and represent areas in our lives that have not been surrendered to God.  Some seem harmless enough while others are dark and evil.  We all have them.  

For so many years I often passed by the Lord’s Prayer and the phrase “your kingdom come”.  I was even told in my younger years the Lord’s Prayer wasn’t relevant because the church as God’s kingdom had already come.  Certainly the church is God’s kingdom, yet this prayer speaks to more than the church itself and there is so much more here.  It is a prayer for all of us for all time that recognizes the spiritual battle between my will and God’s will.  When I choose God’s will over my will, God’s kingdom is evidenced in that moment.  As simple as being gentle or harsh with my children, or as sinister as the choice for purity or pornography God’s kingdom and my kingdom are at odds.  

The good news is Jesus knows this battle because he fought it himself.  In the wilderness, in the garden, on the cross he faced the temptation of choosing self rather than God’s will.   The details and description of Jesus in the garden just prior to his death gives us one of the most intimate insights into his human heart.   Knowing what was coming and how awful and terrible it would be, a son to his father, Jesus cries out in grief and agony.  

“My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.”

Whether only a second or many anguished minutes later Jesus recalls and recites the prayer he shared with his disciples early in his ministry “Your kingdom come, Your will be done” and finishes his prayer.

“Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:39

In surrendering his will to the will of God the fierce battle, with our souls in the balance, is won.  God’s kingdom comes. 

I pray the Lord’s Prayer almost every day.  It has become a source of comfort and strength and continues to reveal more there than I will ever comprehend.   In closing his prayer Jesus shows we are to call on God Almighty to fight against Satan’s temptation for us to choose our kingdoms, our power, and our glory over His.

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one, for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”  Matthew 6:13

What will you choose?

Be the same, be different?
Be the greatest, be the least?
Be first, be last?
Choose self, choose others?
Fight, surrender?
Love friends, love enemies?
What I want, what You want?
Pursue happiness, pursue holiness?
My will, Your will?
Save my life, lose my life?
My kingdom, Your kingdom?

Lord help me hold nothing back from You.  Help me totally surrender everything to You.  In my weakest moments may your prayer come to my lips.  In Jesus name.  Amen. 

Scotty Elston
Shallowater, Texas

Earnest

What do you think when you hear the word earnest?  Sincerity, seriousness, importance, purposeful, determined are all synonyms for earnest.  The online dictionary defined earnest as a word of “Canaanite origin” derived from “money paid in advance as part payment to bind a contract or bargain”. Next I looked in a Bible Dictionary and found earnest listed as a Hebrew word used generally for pledge, and in its similar forms for surety, and hostage. The secular dictionary used the term “Canaanite” while the religious dictionary used  “Hebrew”. It is interesting that the Hebrew people lived in the land of Canaan. Even dictionary compilers feel they must be politically correct in today’s society.

Continuing the discussion of earnest; the Hebrew word has simply passed into the Greek and Latin languages, probably through commercial dealings with the Phoenicians, the great trading people of ancient days. Its general meaning is that of a pledge or token given as the assurance of the fulfillment of a bargain or promise. It also carries with it the idea of forfeit, such as is now common in land deals. In other words, the one promising to convey property, wages or blessing binds the promise with an advance gift or pledge evident of the quality of the benefit to be bestowed. If the agreement is concerning wages, then a part of the wages is advanced; if it is regarding land, then “earnest money” given to the purchaser or beneficiary may stand as the pledge of final and complete conveyance of the property. Earnest from old English now is translated honest or sincere.  The opposite of earnest would be superficial or frivolous…not attractive traits.

In the New Testament the word is used to signify the pledge or “earnest” for the blessings of the future life in Heaven. The reference is to the work of the Spirit of God in our hearts being a token and pledge of perfect redemption and a heavenly inheritance. There is more than the idea of security in the word as used, for it clearly implies the continuity and identity of the blessing.

   

1 Cor 1:21-22  “And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”

We have the responsibility to earnestly seek God’s Spirit:

Hebrews 11:6  “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

Dear God:  Please be with us today as we earnestly seek your Spirit and grace.  May my activities of the day serve others and please you.

Sherilyn Svien

Stephenville, TX

Joy Inside-Out

This week, a co-worker passed me in the hall and said “smile, it can’t be that bad”!  I laughed, shrugged my shoulders and offered the cliché` “I’m fine”.   But when I returned to my desk, I really was bothered by the fact that my emotions were so evident on my face.  Even more so, that the emotions evident were of things that really should not have sank my mood.  I had allowed Satan the foothold of stress and disappointment.  Our face can give away our heart’s emotion.  I was determined to not only change the view the world saw of me as written on my face, but to ensure that the expression of joy on the outside was a genuine reflection of the inside. 

So many things in our daily routine cause us to get frustrated, angry, or sad.  These are the things the world sees in a people that claim to have joy and peace at the core of their character.  Slamming down the phone, excessive use of  “you’ve got to be kidding me !”, and all the obvious signs of irritation should be replaced with positive responses. 

Everyday we are given ample opportunity for Jesus to be seen and ample opportunity for Satan to take control.  As an individual who claims to have Jesus living in my heart and confidence the Holy Spirit is guiding me, I must meditate on and heed scripture and make an outwardly change on my form of expression.  Here are scriptures that provide examples for outwardly expression.

Isaiah 55:12    You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.       

Psalm 89:15-18    How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! O LORD, they walk in the light of your countenance. 16 In Your name they rejoice all the day, and by Your righteousness they are exalted. 17 For You are the glory of their strength, and by Your favor our horn is exalted. 18 For our shield belongs to the LORD, and our king to the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 61:10    I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, my soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness,  I have no reason, and really, no right to be negative, disappointed and lacking in joy.  I have a Father who loves me unconditionally and a Savior that gave it all for me.  THAT’S SOMETHING TO BE JOYFUL ABOUT!

Father, thank you for giving me a reason to be forever joyful.  Forgive me when I allow satan to control my emotions. Help me to be a better expression of Jesus. Thank you for your love and grace.In Jesus’ name, amen.

Michelle Tittor

Grapevine, TX