Today is Valentine's Day. A day that cheesy (and quite unrealistic) jewelry commercials say is "about how much I love us." It's a day that is supposed to celebrate twu wuv and happiness. But, in the past, I've felt on this great day that my utter singleness is put under a magnifying glass for all to see and judge. (Seriously though...I know I'm not quite THAT important.)
All of that said...on this Valentine's Day, I am finding myself in awe of God, the loving Father who will never leave us or forsake us. I'm having to watch a dear friend walk through the darkest moment of her life. But, thankfully, she knows that she is not alone.
It honestly astounds me that she is able to walk through her circumstancs with dignity and grace in the midst of persecution and judgement that is completely undeserved. But, God is with her, through it all, reminding her of His own persecution and judgement that was undeserved.
All of this brings me back to look at how I got through my own dark hour. It was not my strength or will that brought me through, but my loving Father who carried me through. There were so many things that God taught me in the midst of the grief...things that have made me see life differently and love God more than I ever was able to before.
One thing in particular comes to mind today that I think should be shared. A few years after the tragedy in my own life came, I was worshiping God at a conference with thousands of people. The worship leader was singing "Show Me Your Glory" over and over again. The Presence of God was unlike anything I had ever experienced before.
I began to ask God to break my heart for what breaks His. In my finite (and selfish, might I add) mind, I was expecting God to give me a love for a specific nation or for something that I would find myself doing in the future. Instead, He spoke 7 words to me that I will never forget and that changed my life.
He said, "My heart broke when your heart broke."
Wait a minute, God's heart broke over me and my grief? Seriously?
And with that, I caught a glimpse of the Father's heart that I had never seen before. Just as a loving parent's heart breaks when their child is suffering, God's also breaks...and even more, because we can't possibly love as much as He loves.
I don't believe that those words that He spoke to me that night were just meant for me. He loves us all with the same incredible love.
He isn't a God that is waiting for His children to just get over things that happen. He carries us through and gives us beauty instead of ashes, gladness instead of mourning, and the mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting [Isaiah 61:3]. He is a good, loving, and perfect Heavenly Father.
So, today, I'm celebrating my relationship with Him.
