In the Air

On this day, on which you hear a lot of talk about "love," I thought it would be great to talk about the
authentic love of God. In Psalm 36, we can read:
5 Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
6 Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O Lord, You preserve man and beast.
7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.

The ultimate source of love is God, who gives us the capacity to love one another in a totally unselfish way.  He gives us the ability to experience love in marriage in an new dimension; he enables us to be blessed as we give our ourselves to another person.  In the Lord, we are designed to be givers, to be selfless, because we have been re-created by Jesus to fully experience the love of God.  That is intended to be our default, our natural state - in Him, rather than to pursue human ambition.

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In 1st John chapter 4, we read about the incredible love of God:

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.

Happy Valentine's Day to you!  And, if you're married, let's take a moment to thank the Lord for the special person that God has brought into your life.  If you're not, thank Him for special people with whom He has connected you.

I think about what I read on the Tim Tebow Foundation Facebook page about marriage proposals that came at the Night to Shine events last Friday, where some 75,000 special needs children and adults experienced a special evening when they were shown how much God loves them.  There were two such proposals in New Hampshire, and a another person said there were three in Washington state.

A collage of pictures of an apparent proposal on the Kitsap, Washington Night to Shine Facebook page was accompanied by these comments:

One of several such commitments of love made last night! Another gentleman came up to me later in the night with the biggest smile on his face just gushing with the tale of his proposal to his gal, who had accepted his offer. Love is always in the air at this incredible event for our special guests.

You might say love is in the air when God is bringing people together - and He's doing it and has done it!  We do well to recognize it.

Jay Wolf recognizes it:  He and his wife, Katherine, are the founders of a ministry called Hope Heals. Perhaps you're familiar with their story - three years after they were married, she had a brain stem stroke, which resulted in paralysis and a long medical journey.

According to a piece that was referenced on Facebook, on the Darling website, Jay writes:

Katherine and I have beaten the odds in an extraordinary circumstance, one which results in a 90% divorce rate typically, and for this new life and second chance we are so grateful. But this is not to say that I, myself, am extraordinary or heroic. What I’m trying to do is what I promised in my vows: To love Katherine’s whole self throughout her whole life. And something mysteriously wonderful is happening; our souls are weaving together.

He declares: "...my marriage, like every commitment birthed of true, unstoppable goodwill toward someone else, has meant an end to part of the life I dreamed for myself, a death of the future Me I always thought I would be."

Jay adds, "Admittedly, this isn’t what’s sung about in most love songs. But perhaps we need to start writing some new ones."

Well-known columnist Cal Thomas knows the value and experience of sacrificial love.  He and his wife, Ray, experienced 51 years of marriage prior to her death last Friday from "multiple health issues," according to a piece he wrote, found on the WORLD website.  From that site, you can read his words:

I can say without embellishment I would not be the man I am today without her. God knew what He was doing when He put us together.

On the day of her passing, I posted this thought on my Facebook page:

“Men, love your wives. Don’t wait until they are about to be taken from you before you realize what they have contributed to your life. Love them now so you have no regrets at the end. I am glad my wife as she prepares to meet her Savior has known of my love for her and how valuable she has been to me. Have you told yours that? Love today is seen as a feeling. But real love is a commitment, a covenant. That’s why most of us take marriage VOWS instead of make promises.”

Love is certainly in the air, and we can see it expressed in so many tangible ways.  Now, the question becomes - are we seeing it?  Are we expressing it?  I think of the Night to Shine attendees that are made to feel like Kings and Queens for a night.  We can reflect on how we can make our spouses feel, as Gary Thomas puts it, "cherished."  We can be challenged to show them value and make them feel like royalty.

Jay and Katherine illustrate an incredible sacrificial love for each other.  Amidst the challenges, as Jay shared in that piece, you die to yourself, as you should.  As he relates, you also discover a new self and a greater willingness to serve, in the midst of challenges, which, as he points out, can weave our souls together.

And, Cal and Charlotte Ray Thomas can remind us of the rewards for taking a long-term view. Marriage is ordained and designed by God to last a lifetime.  But, we have to recognize His love and strength in order to ensure that it does.  The contrast of vows to promises is real and implies a desire to recognize and develop this wonderful gift.