BECAUSE YOU ARE FAR MORE THAN A VALENTINE

The self cannot be itself if it does not grow, and for a creature made in the image of God,
to grow is to love…Eugene Peterson

When one deeply in love with another, begins to describe with passionate appreciation what has been unnoticed or ignored by others, some are sure to dismiss such words on the pretext that, “Love is blind”. They mean that love diminishes our capacity to see what is actually there. They mean that fantasy, tailor-made to fit ones desires, has been projected on another, making him or her acceptable as a lover. The cynical follow-up to this view is that whether one is the giver or object of such affections, were one to see the other truly, they would never get involved.

While a popular saying, as popular sayings so often are, this one is wrong. Love opens eyes. It is fear and hurt that blind. Love enables one to see what has been there all along but was overlooked in haste or indifference. Love corrects astigmatism so that what was distorted in selfishness and the need for control inspired by insecurity, is now perceived accurately and appreciatively. Love cures shortsightedness, so that the blur of a relationship that should have been can be seen in wondrous new focus. Love also cures farsightedness so that opportunities for intimacy transcend expedient emotional release, becoming multifaceted blessed occasions of mutual invitation and discovery.

Foremost, true love always draws our attention to Christ who has no cultural or political swagger with which to capture our attention, and no beauty that would cause us to crave His attention. In Him we see the only one among the sons of men free of bias, dishonesty, and injustice; a vessel of truth dedicated to the will of God the Father. This love penetrates the defenses of spiritual darkness, the patron of deception that deceives us into embracing impotent god rivaling enlightenment and self-sufficiency.

While there are many belief systems and belief-free persuasions, only one reveals and redeems the life created by God specifically for love, at no costs to the recipient other than yes!

So no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do,
I’m bankrupt without [this] love…1 Corinthians 13:3