Rooted in Love

 

As a child growing up, Valentine’s Day was a special day!  It wasn’t always focused on my parent’s love; it was focused on our family love.  It was purely meant to celebrate the love we all had for each other.  My father and brother would spend weeks selecting the perfect dinner menu and even put together a menu we would receive when we sat at the table.  Gifts were exchanged, a wonderful meal was prepared and enjoyed, and there was always dessert.  Some years it was a twinkie with whipped cream on top or a chocolate chip cookie that ended up a shape of a circle vs. the intended heart.

When I fast forward from that memory, I think about the love of my husband and love of my friends.  I think about showing love and receiving love – and even times when love felt absent.  Those times, when love wasn’t there, are the most painful.  I am certain we have all experienced those moments – when our significant others/spouses didn’t show us love, when our children seemed to hate us, when our parents were disappointed in us and shunned us, when our friends disowned us.  Upon reflecting, those moments could yield agonizing hurt and despair. 

This verse, from the famous 1 Corinthians 13, is by far one of my favorites.  It has been in those times of hurt and despair that I have wrapped myself up in this chapter of God’s word.  The three words I cherish – faith, hope and love. 

·         Faith begins with God.  For us to have faith, simple faith, where do we focus our faith?  God is there to receive our faith.  He is there to let us know that our faith is rooted in His Word – the Word that focuses us on the One that made heaven and earth, sent His only Son to deliver us from our sins, and faith that we will see Him again!  Simple faith!

·         Hope begins with God.  We can hope for many things.  We can hope for a problem-free life, for better health, for love to come into our lives.  Yet, the hope for all those things can only come from the One we have faith in – God.  Hope is rooted in His Word.  Hope for a tomorrow where we will see God face to face.  Hope that God’s will strengthens our lives.

·         Love begins with God.  He shows us how to love.  It is impossible for us to fathom the unconditional love God has for us – that He gave His only Son to die for us.  It is in the loving arms of God where we can rest, have peace, and bring our faith and hope.  It is God’s love that permeates our lives when others may turn their love against us.  Love is rooted in His Word.  Our faith in God, the one that brings hope to our lives, is the one that covers us in a blanket of love each and every day – with no judgement, no disappointment, no hate regardless of our sins.  It is simple, God loves us!

Heavenly Father, let us fall into your loving arms EVERY day.  May we realize when we feel a void of love in our lives, that you are ALWAYS there to fill that void.  You love us every minute of every day, holding us close to you.  May we have the simple faith that your love will never fail us and the hope that we will one day be loved by you in paradise.