When my young friend Davonte discovered that loving God involved loving His creation, namely people, he handed out homemade Valentine cards to everyone he came across. He undoubtedly brightened the day for a lot of folks, and I applaud him for it.
I just had to wonder, though,what happened to most of those cards the day after Valentine's Day? I'm not against all those sweet, fun, silly, sometimes extravagant expressions of love. But when God tells us to “Love one another,” I think He has something more in mind.
I remember how badly I wanted the hearts and flowers when I was first married. My new husband never thought much about holidays, so I took it on myself to “coach” him. One Valetine's Day, David arrived home awkwardly wielding lots of shiny red and pink heart-shaped balloons and a ridiculously huge white teddy bear. I was thrilled!
A few days later, the wilting balloons were at half-mast and the teddy bear had lost its place of honor on the sofa and was relegated to a corner to collect dust.
One morning not long after that, David and I were rushing around getting ready to leave for our respective jobs, David at a formal office, me at a gym. I was in a snippy mood and being sarcastic with him as we both walked out the door to see...a flat tire. On my car.
There we stood, me in my casual workout clothes and sneakers, David in his starched white shirt and tie. And David did the most loving thing I'd ever seen him do – he handed me his car keys and said: “Here. I'll stay here and change the tire. You take my car.”
Now that's love. Anyone can buy candy and balloons, but not everyone is willing to sacrifice for someone else, especially someone who's just been rude to them.
That's how God shows His love, though, right?
But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
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Sure, God sends us “Valentine's” in bird songs, in the warmth of a sunny day, in the purrs of a fluffy kitten. He didn't have to make the sky so blue, or food taste so good, or the perks of marriage be so enjoyable, but He did, just for us. Still, like Davonte's Valentine cards, all those wonderful tokens of God's love for us will one day pass away.
The only thing that will matter then will be His ultimate act of love, and there was nothing cute or sweet or cuddly or pretty about it. His sacrificial gift of love was gritty and sweaty and bloody and ugly, to say the least. Christ's death on the cross doesn't generate the “warm fuzzies”, does it? Yet it proves His love in a way that will affect us for all eternity, not just the fleeting happiness of a day at the beach or a bouquet of roses.
I don't know if I can love the way Christ did, but He commands us to, so I'm going to try.
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. John 15:13
