Happy Valentine's Day

I publish a monthly women's newsletter at church that has upcoming events, ministry notes, a "getting to know you" page, and an article that I write. The following is the article I wrote for February.

Jen’s Gems
From The Heart

I remember when I was in grade school and February meant valentines. Sure there was Groundhog Day and President’s Day, but only on Valentine’s Day could I give away little cards with cheap envelopes with glue that didn’t stick and candy hearts with sayings like “U R Cute.” And not much has changed for kids these days. My boys have already chosen the valentines they will give their class (Star Wars for Josh and Happy Feet for Adam). Not only that, they already have them filled out and sealed. Only nowadays, they come with little sticker hearts to seal them instead of little white envelopes. They carefully read each one and compared it to a list of their classmates to choose the perfect card for each person, just like I used to do. You have to be careful, you know. You have to be sure to give the boys a card meant for boys and the girls a card meant for girls. Only the girl’s cards can’t be too valentiney or they might think you like them. Unless that’s what you want, then it’s even more complicated. So after an evening of deliberation, they had chosen the right card for each person and had carefully filled out the to/from part and sealed them with a heart. Now they just have to wait until the 14th to put them in the construction paper containers on each desk at school.

The hardest and most important part of the whole process is choosing for each person a card that says just what you want to say to them on that day. I think God does that for us. His valentines don’t have cartoon characters on them and they aren’t sealed with little stickers. His valentines come in the form of book, chapter and verse. I can just see him each night looking at his list and finding my name. “Hmmm,” he thinks, “What do I need to say to Jen tomorrow?” Then the next day when I open my Bible, there it is. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 when I need to be reminded of his comfort. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” Or Proverbs 3:5-6 when I need a little faith strengthening. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Or 2 Timothy 1:7 if I need to be reassured of who I am in him. “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”

So each day I have the opportunity to get a valentine from God. Sometimes they are the ones that say, “Have a Happy Feet Day” or “May the Force be with you, Valentine.” But sometimes they say, “Here I am” or “Remember me.” But what I have to remember and take to heart each day as I open his valentine, is that where I am is where he wants me to be…in my life and in his Word.