Be My VaLENTine

Valentine’s Day is sort of an anniversary for my husband and me. 26 years ago, on a Valentine’s Day, we started dating. It took us months to grow close enough to each other before we were able to say the words, “I love you”.

I read somewhere that Lent is the time when God seduces you and Easter is when He says, ‘I love you’. I mentioned this to my husband yesterday, and he said that was a bizarre quote! I agree. Yet, I sense a nugget of truth in there somewhere.

Let’s say that we have a devoted friend who has always been by our side. This friend knows everything about us, has been pursuing us, and has sacrificed everything for us. Yet, we are oblivious to this person’s feelings and take him/her for granted. Jesus is this friend. He loves us. Yet, we ignore Him.

I do think the season of Lent can be a time where we notice that God is ‘courting’ us. He wants us to draw closer, to get to know Him, to grow in our love for Him. God’s been pursuing us forever, yet we have been too occupied with other things to notice. Lent allows us time to detach from our preoccupations and instead be occupied by God.

When we are dating someone, everything else tends to get blurry. We become so captivated by this other person that we become detached from anything that doesn’t directly relate to this relationship. All we can think about is the next time we get to be with this person. What am I going to say? What will he say? Will he find me attractive? What can I do to make him happy?

 

God is pure, sacrificial love. He has already made the grandest gesture. Good Friday and Easter are the anniversaries of these expressions of love. May this be a season where we notice God’s intense, persistent passion for us.