He loves me...

As a young girl, I loved picking flowers from the yard and making my own little arrangement. In my adolescent years, when most girls start to notice boys, picking flowers took on a whole new perspective! I would pull a flower off its stem and then, one by one, I would pick the petals off saying "he loves me, he loves me not" while hoping that when I got to the last petal it would happen when I said 'he loves me'. It was such a cute little game of prediction that little girls played when they were infatuated by a little boy. The other day I was walking in my yard and saw a beautiful little flower with many petals and thought of that sweet, innocent game. A flower that said he loved me.

The beautiful yellow flower in today's picture brings back so many more precious memories too. I know it is a weed, but I can only see it as a beautiful yellow flower. When my boys were little, if they saw one of these flowers in the yard, they would quickly pick it and come running to me with the biggest smile on their face! Jumping up and down, they would say "Here, mama. A flower for you!" (insert tears here) My heart leaps with joy just thinking about those sweet boys of mine picking flowers for me. They gave me so many of those flowers! Such precious memories that I will always cherish! A flower that said 'he loves me'.

Now fast forward to my sweet husband. On our first date, he gave me the prettiest vase of coral-colored roses I had ever seen! Such a different and beautiful rose color. I knew that the color of roses have special meanings so I decided to look up what a coral-colored rose meant. What I discovered was that the color represents enthusiasm, desire, creativity, and fascination. Well, needless to say, I was quite impressed! Again, the flowers said 'he loves me'.

February is the month of LOVE. As God prompted my heart to think about how special flowers are, especially when given with love, I was led to reflect on what He says about love. "Love suffers long and is kind. Love does not envy . Love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, and is not provoked. Love thinks no evil, does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes for all things, and endures all things. Love never fails. And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." (I Corinthians 13: 3-8, 13)

What a beautiful message of love! This beautiful passage shows us how to love and what love really is. Love is patient and kind. Everyday. With every person. Even when they may get on your last nerve. Put your love glasses on and love them anyway!

Love does not envy. Envy is the desire to want what someone else has. We should never feel envy because God provides for all our needs. And He provides abundantly! Not only everything we need, but a lot of what we think we need. If you are feeling down, know that He will send His angels to comfort you, bring you food, and keep you clothed and warm. He will always send His angels of love just when we need them. We only have to accept and trust His love for us.

Love doesn't behave rudely or does not puff itself up. When someone says they love you, your spirit should feel the warmth of their love, and your eyes should see the fruit of their love. Love is gentle, not abusive. Love brings healing. Love does not mistreat someone nor rejoice in their troubles. Love bears all things and provides hope. We are all created equal in God's sight. In the Bible, He frequently tells us to love others more than we love ourself.

We love because He first loved us. Jesus loved us so much that He died on the cross for our sins, even though we had not even been born yet. And God loved us so much that He gave His only son to take away our sins. That is the truest kind of love you will ever receive. It is an unconditional love. We can never drift so far away from God that He can't pull us back to Him and hold us tightly in His arms.

Take a look at your expression of love toward others (your wife, your children, your friends). Do you truly reflect God's love in all that you say and do? Look closely at those who say they love you. Do you feel the warmth of their unconditional love? Do you see the fruits of a loving heart? If not, please reflect on what it means to truly love according to God's measure.

The flowers are starting to bloom again. While walking in my yard, I reached down to pick up a beautiful little flower and started to pick the petals off. I pulled the first petal and said 'He loves me". I paused for a second and just basked in the warmth of His love. I did not need to pull off any more petals because the first petal told me that He loves me. And that is all I needed to know!