I love this collection of Valentines. The two larger ones were sent to me from my grandmother when I was child. The three smaller ones were given to my dad by schoolmates in the 1930’s.
One of the attributes we most desire in our Valentine is to be true to us, to be faithful. Faithful
is a word I’ve been pondering the past few days.
Replacing our roof in January allowed me to get rid of buckets in my
office I’d used in the weeks previous when it rained. But of course, the damaged
ceiling from the leaks needed to be replaced, too.
To clear the way for the workers to tear out and replace the sheetrock,
I needed to move nearly everything. Since I did, I decided to sift through
files and toss a few things.
I neared the bottom of a container when I spied two journals from so
long ago, I’d forgotten they existed. They were from the years just before I
surrendered my life wholly to the Lord.
When I cracked them open, I read about a woman who was confused, lost
in sin, nearly in despair, and felt in the dark even when standing in a
sunbeam.
I remembered I initially kept those journals as reminders of how awful
those years were, in case I was ever tempted to go back.
But praise God, it has been decades now, and I have never been back. Oh,
I’ve messed up plenty of times, and I’ve been down, but never without
hope. My way has been cloudy, but the light of Jesus has always been with me. I
have never, ever been lost again, because I know who I belong to and where my
true home is. None of this happened because of me, but because God is faithful.
So, I had myself a victory party.
I ripped the pages from those journals and shredded them, and said, “Take
that Satan. My God is faithful.”
As I reflected on those journals, I remembered a song, “He’s Faithful”
by Carol Cymbala from the Brooklyn Tabernacle.
It’s been the soundtrack in my brain for several days.
Later, as I read the scripture readings for a Bible study I’m doing, I
came on these words from a man who knew the faithfulness of God, “He will also
keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord
Jesus Christ. God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord” (I Corinthians 1:8-9).
And here from The Message, “. . . God himself is right
alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by
Jesus. God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the
life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget
that.” (I Corinthians 1:8-9)
This Valentine’s Day, if you’re looking for someone whose love is
always faithful, let me introduce you to Jesus who embodies the heart of God. Take
encouragement from these words, my dear friends―NO MATTER what the future
holds, God is faithful. No situation will surprise Him, and none will be beyond
His ability to handle. He will never give up on us. His love will never fail.
God. Is. Faithful.
Have a happy Valentine’s Day and take a moment to watch, “He is Faithful" by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir.