Your Grandma and me didn’t have a penny to our name. We fell in love and worked together to build our home. That’s part of makin’ the marriage.”
–Cliff Hudgins (Grandpa and the Kid)
“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us.”
–Ephesians 2:4 (NKJV)
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Valentine’s Day–I reckon we’re supposed to be romantic on this day. Love just flits through the air, ahh, smell the tulips for roses ain’t bloomin’ yet. There is young love, puppy love, sweet love, false love, pseudo love, love of chocolates and the like, then there is that true and tried love that lasts through the troubles and trials of the years. It recalls the moments of glee and joy when actually there were those times of smelling the roses or walking down a primrose lane. Or perhaps it was lying in a tent during a Wyoming storm that threatened to blow us away with the rain coming down in buckets. Ahh, sweet love…
It brought to mind a poem by Robert V. Carr, that I’ve used before. Now, I may be a romantic, but I’m sure not the poet so I have to borrow–bear with me.
It’s that there girl ‘most all the time,
Fer workin’ I hain’t worth a dime;
An’ jes’ can’t turn around or stir
Without some foolish thought o’ her.
Can scarcely sleep or eat my chuck–
Dog-gone the luck! I guess I’m stuck!
For sure I was and am stuck. Not stuck in the mud or mire; and maybe stuck isn’t the right word–I told you I wasn’t a poet. No, I’m tied! The knot was securely tied fifty-four years ago this coming June. Whooeee, what a gal. Guess that was sorta like the Gordian Knot of Greek Mythology; it can’t be untied. Yep, she lassoed me good and tight, or I think it was something like that. More or less anyhow; she just got tired of runnin’ and my loop was straight and true.
Now here’s the truth of the matter. Love is so greatly misunderstood and the modern pundits and entertainment pushers purposely make a gross misrepresentation of true love. Read 1 Corinthians 13 to see the real picture of love. Let me write a few verses, but I encourage you to investigate these verses.
“It [Love] always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails…” (13:7-8, NIV)
I see so many who say they “are in love” but then it falls apart. Divorce comes–what happened to love? What is love at all? Or was it a foolish notion, a queasy feeling? But enough of that, I’m supposed to be throwin’ out sweet nothin’s today. Roses, I mean tulips, chocolates and other sweet things. So have yourself a romantic, love-filled day.
And I’ll close with this one reminded, the last verse of chapter 13. “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (NIV) Ever thought why that might be? Here is one thing to ponder. When we get to heaven will we need faith? We are already there in His presence; we will have everything we need. Hope? It is no longer needed, the Lord has come, we don’t have to hope any longer. But now, love–nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:39, NIV) Love will continue throughout eternity. Every step we take in glory we will be reminded of the love of God and of Christ. Just because we are there is proof of His great and wonderful love.