Greatest Love of All

The day had come and gone...a day that I dreaded...more so this year than any in the past...it was Valentine's Day.  To some that may sound like a negative statement, so before you judge what you think this blog is about, please take time to read it through.  Take a moment to hear my heart in the message.

As I sat at the kitchen table the night before Valentine's Day with my daughter and my son's girlfriend, we were talking about what everyone was planning for Valentine's Day. We talked about how overrated the day really is...you need to tell those you love every single day how much they mean to you.  As I walked away from the table that night, my heart and my mind were at war with each other.

I want so much out of life...I want God's will for my life, for my kids' lives, for my friends' lives.  I want to be God's will for someone special.  I realize that I have so very much to be thankful for...my kids, my precious grand-baby, my family, my church, my friends, my job...my heritage!  I have been so abundantly blessed.  On the flip side of that, though, days like Valentine's Day remind me of what I don't have...a terrible reminder of everything I feel that is missing in my life.  Oh sure, I could have had me a pity party...a "Non-Valentine's Day" party...but I had to shake myself out of that mindset and make a choice to move forward rejoicing in knowing I have the "Greatest Love of All."

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.   

Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.
I Corinthians 13 The Message

Can you imagine what life would be like if we all truly followed this passage and made it our life motto?  The world would be a much softer place; less hearts would be broken; fewer lives would be torn apart; more people would smile...the list is endless of all of the benefits we would reap.  The fact is that love would never become obsolete! 

**Lord, the love you have shown for me

is beyond my wildest imagination;

You gave your only son to die on an old rugged cross

JUST FOR ME!

As I journey through this life, I want to show love

to those around me.  I want to be a shining example

of how you love.

I want to have the kind of love that 

your word teaches in I Corinthians 13.

Teach me your ways, show me the path,

help me to become more like you.

In your name I ask...Amen**