February is a time when many of us think more about love because of, you know, Valentine’s Day. But we usually associate that holiday with romantic love, cards and candy, chocolate for sure. Forget about the chalky little hearts with messages. Fun to read, blah to eat. Save the calories for chocolate.
Maybe you remember exchanging Valentines with your classmates in elementary school. You decorate your shoebox with red and pink construction paper. Glue on some paper doilies, cut a hole in the top and wait for the cheapo cards to pile up. You hope they are taped to a little chocolate bar or zipped into a baggie of Hershey’s Kisses. You scrutinize the messages from the boys to see if maybe someone “like likes” you. Probably their mom just threw them together.
As you got older, you may have hoped for a sweetheart to say, “Be mine” and mean it. Like me, you’ve probably had some good Valentine’s Days and some that were disappointing at best.
On the last day of January, I came home from a long, challenging day of “guest teaching.” I wrote this: Today I’m frustrated and discontented and just feel like I’m missing the mark. Not fulfilling my purpose, not making much money, not doing anything all that great. Lord, I need you in this mess. I don’t know whether to keep pursuing blogging or writing books or just give up on all of that.
It’s times like that I need to remember God’s limitless love for me.
Better than any greeting card, fragrant bouquet or sweet treat, God’s love is a gift we can receive every day of the year in any moment we seek Him.
Do you want to know what God thinks of you? He calls you his child, loved, chosen, cherished. The Bible is full of God’s instruction, encouragement and messages of love.
When I begin to meditate on passages of Scripture or pray them for those I love or for myself, I connect with the heart of God and find a sweet morsel of contentment. That’s why I decided I wanted to send love letters. Love letters to you, my readers, and to me. All of them rooted and established in God’s love.
I need good news right now and maybe you do, too. Every day between now and Valentine’s Day, I plan to post on my social media channels a message of God’s love for you based on passages from His Word. Here’s today’s love note.
God’s love letter to you
Day 1
Dear child of my heart,
If you ask me, I will open the eyes of your heart to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is my love for you.
Message paraphrased from Ephesians 3:18
Day 2
God loves you and designed you on purpose for purpose. From Psalm 139:13-16 and Ephesians 2:10.
Day 3
Day 3’s love letter comes form Romans 8:31-38. Don’t believe the lie that you’re destined to fail. Whatever you’re facing, God wants to help you through it. He even takes what appears to the world to be failure and transforms it for your good and His glory.
Day 4
Today’s love note comes from Hebrews 12:11 and Isaiah 54:17. If your path is rocky and steep and you’re not sure where it leads, ask God to build your faith muscles.
Day 5
Today’s love letter from God comes from Psalm 19:1-6, Psalm 8:1-4 and Romans 1:20.God creates. His creations point to His mighty power and infinite care down to the microscopic details.
All around the earth and skies, He speaks in images of wonder.
Day 6
God doesn’t promise us problem-free lives. He promises to walk with us in the hills and valleys. The Day 6 love letter comes from John 16:33, John 14:27, Philippians 4:7.
Day 7
God speaks in stillness and solitude. Give Him the first moments of your day and He will weave peace into your soul. Day 7 comes from Psalm 143:8 and 10, Lamentations 3:23 and Isaiah 50:4.
Day 8
Day 8 comes from 1 John 3:16, John 15:11 and Ephesians 1:17. Game changer: spend more time asking what God wants to do in and through us than on what we want from God.
Day 9
Don’t expect perfection from your loved ones. Reserve that role for God. Today’s love letter is from 1 John 4:18.
Day 10
The Day 10 love letter from God is from Ephesians 4:23-24 and Isaiah 26:3.
Day 11
When we take a step forward with God in our calling, we experience victory over fear. Fear may not go away, but we don’t allow it to get in our way. The Day 11 love letter from God is from 2 Timothy 1:7.
Day 12
Don’t waste your life fretting over what you don’t have. Treasure the blessings all around you. Today’s love letter comes from John 10:10 and Philippians 4:4.
Day 13
It’s not “if storms come,” it’s “when storms come.” God uses adversity to shape our character, soften our hearts and transform our hope. The Day 13 love letter comes from Psalm 18:30 and Romans 3:3-5.
Day14
We’re at Day 14 and the love letter is from 1 Corinthians 13:13 and 1 Thessalonians 3:12. God’s lavish love is designed to overflow from us to others. How can you share God’s love today?
This indeed, is very timely for me. Sometimes when things are not going according to our plan, we have to remember God loves us and His plan is so much better than anything we could plan for ourselves. Love this post!
Thanks Vanessa! So true that God’s plans for us are best.
Hi Sandra, this is so true and something that we need to be reminded of, that God loves us. We don’t need to look anywhere else, even on these hard days, especially on the hard days! Thanks for sharing this. Yolanda