Help! Love, MOM

This blog post is partly informed by a previous post Finding Joy in Every Day Life , and day 3 of a devotional, Formed by the Wind: Choosing Your True North by Scott Savage. I commend it to you here in its entirety.

What does an amazing and memorable Valentine’s Day look like?

• Amazing sex?
• Chocolates and flowers?
• Gifts of expensive jewelry?
• The best seats at the finest restaurant?
• Deeply and mutually satisfying conversation?

Maybe.

Sometimes love is absolutely breathtaking, earthshaking and, in a word, spectacular. We walk on clouds, smile at everyone and have a light in our eyes and a joy in our hearts both unmistakable and enviable.

However, I encourage you to remember that love, tried and faithful love lasts beyond the spectacular phase and may be at its best when life is, well, ordinary.

• Keeping fav foods on hand like pulled pork for the freezer and Pop Tarts in the pantry.
• Having a little fun (not that!) with the one you love in the Costco parking lot.
• Remembering all the times when you enjoyed the steady presence of love from friends and family in big and small, faithful ways.

That kind of love may not make headlines, but it makes a life.

Engraved Love: Beyond the Spectacular

“See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.” — Isaiah 49:16

Valentine’s Day is a beautiful reminder of love. But it’s just one day.

God has graciously given us countless places and spaces to show love every single day—in kitchens,

in parking lots,

at dinner tables,

through text messages,

in hospital rooms, and

in quiet living rooms at the end of a long day.

Yes, we are commanded to show love even to strangers and the poor and, perhaps, especially to the seemingly undeserving like ICE agents or protesters depending on where you stand on current American political issues. (More about this in the next blog post; I’ve been musing on mercy.)

We do so from the standpoint of having been freely forgiven every wrong thing we have ever done.

The prophet Isaiah paints an astonishing picture of the LORD’s love for His people:
“I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.”

Tattoos are incredibly popular right now. Some are beautiful works of art full of meaning. Others are frankly profane.

Tatoos

I confess that both the placement and messages of some are perplexing to me. But one thing is always clear: the wearer wants to be publicly identified with their ink.

Imagine the LORD who says, “I have engraved you.”

WHAT KIND OF LOVE IS THAT?!

Not penciled in.
Not written in dry erase marker.
Not temporarily inked.

Engraved.

Public. Permanent. Intentional. Costly.

The God of the universe has chosen to identify Himself with His people in a way that cannot be erased. Your name, your story, your walls—your life, and mine — are ever before Him.

He does not forget.

He does not drift.

He does not grow bored with the ordinary details of your days.

The spectacular moments of love are wonderful. But ordinary love stays faithful and gentle; it remembers and is righteous. This love shows up again tomorrow with no agenda but your highest and best .

That’s the love God has for you. And, thankfully, many of us enjoy an imperfect but deeply satisfying version of God’s love for us in our family and among our friends along with gifts from Aldi, Costco and Trader Joe.

So as Valentine’s Day comes and goes, remember this: Christian, you are already held in a love more permanent than ink. A love engraved.

And that love?
It is breathtaking in ways that last forever.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Kimberly xo