being loved...

Now, to all you out there who may be thinking I've gone over to the "dark side" with my post yesterday... fear not! I am still here searching for God's amazing love in all I see and delighting in the ways He shows me along life's way. There are times, however, when one just has to tell it like it is. Yesterday's post was one of those times--a time of gut-level honesty...and, in the end, a preaching to myself!

And, today... an example of the joy, the great delight, the unbelievable comfort and wonder of loving and being loved... (204)

bah humbug....

Ok. I decided I should probably do my Valentine's Day 'bah humbug!' post today, so it doesn't spoil anyone else's actual Valentine's Day...or, to put it in a more positive vein, so that it may cause us to really THINK about the day before it actually arrives.

Please don't throw things at me or send me nasty comments, but I really do NOT like Valentine's Day. I never have. I'm just being honest here. To me, it is merely a Hallmark holiday--one created as a money-maker for the card, gift, and flower industries. And a "holiday" which creates--or at the least 'intensifies'-- dissatisfaction, aloneness, and relationship troubles.

I mean, really. Let's consider the scenario of many a Valentine's Day...

Men know they had BETTER get their wife/girlfriend/love-of-their-life a gift of some sort to show how much they love said loved one. If they forget, or if the gift is not just right, they are in some serious trouble, and may even be sleeping with Fido in the doghouse...

And the loved one... she has expectations of above-mentioned gift/card/dinner/flowers as a demonstration of the depth of his love! If he forgets, or if the gift is not just right, she experiences a range of emotions anywhere from a bit sad and morose to ready to divorce/break up with/take a frying pan to the no-good, unappreciative, thoughtless lout!

It's a set-up for disaster, if you ask me. And, I didn't yet mention those who are like me--single. In a society centered around couples and families, and on a holiday that is focused on romance and love and that one special relationship, the single person cannot help but feel not-quite-good-enough, forgotten, left out, lonely, incomplete, or just plain unloved. Hmmm. Somehow, the "holiday" doesn't seem like a day of flowers and sunshine and hearts, but instead, one which emphasizes one's singleness.

So, what to do about Valentine's Day?

Well, as for me, I am fortunate. I have a darling mother who never forgets me on Valentine's Day. I think she is even more conscientious about the day since I am single. She never misses a year of sending me her love with a card or a package, and I adore her for it. That's love. Years of always making sure I know I'm thought of and loved...and from many miles away, at that.

Some years I pull myself out of the Valentine's Humbug by sending cards to my friends. Or by making cookies or other treats for them. Some years I just can't "get there" and try to ignore the day altogether. Some years are a mix of the two--a bit of melancholy feelings counterbalanced by the wearing of pink and red to at least acknowledge the day.

I don't mean to sound like Oscar the Grouch. I do, however, want to encourage us to be mindful of what it is to truly love others as the Bible says "...according to their needs." It's not about ONE day of showing how much we love others. And, what is done or not done on that ONE day is not the indication that we love or are loved. It's not about flowers or gifts or Hallmark card moments--it's about the every day living a life of love with those in our lives. With our friends. With our family. With that one special person. And with each person with whom we come in contact--loveable or unloveable. We need to show them and tell them every day, every moment, in every word, and in every action, that we love them...that they are well and truly loved. Because that's how God loves us.

Yes, I know. It's a tall order. It's a tough command. But, it's what our Lord calls us to. Not one day of showing love--getting the right gift or sending the right card--but a daily walking in kindness and love and generosity, a putting the needs of others before our own.

That's love.
That's what Jesus did for us.

How about we commit to making every day a Valetine's day?

...for a great post on Valentine's Day from a man's perspective, take a moment or two to read Travis' Valentine's Day post from last year. I think it was very insightful, and I really appreciated what he had to say...

gotta love this calf!

Knowing my delight in finding God's hidden (or not so hidden to the searching eye!) symbols of His love, a couple of friends sent me this photo yesterday. I thought, "oh, how cute! what an adorable little calf!" and chalked it up to my farm-lovin' country-girl heart as the reason they would send me a photo of a baby cow. And then I did a double-take... just look at the love this little calf is showing off...

(as if he weren't cute enough just as he is!)

"Nineteen-day-old ox 'Heart,' born with a heart-shaped marking on his forehead, relaxes at Yamakun farm in Fujisawa, near Tokyo, Japan, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2009. Kazunori Yamazaki, 51-year-old farm owner, said, 'Good timing for Valentine's Day.' " (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)

I think God can't help Himself sometimes and does these things just to see who's paying attention! I'll bet He gets a kick out Himself and a great big God-sized chuckle.... I don't know about you, but I love it!

you gotta have the rain...

We here in Southern California were treated to rain and gloom off and on for the past four days. It hasn't been the usual sunny and warm weather people are used to, and you should hear the grumbling and complaining that starts after about one full day of rain. One would think we were living in the continual rain of Seattle or in the ice-covered states back east!

Southern Californians will put up with about 24 hours of rain--after all, we have been in a bit of a drought cycle for the past few years, the reservoirs and lakes are dreadfully low, and the brown hills of winter show our lack of precipitation. So, OK, we will take a little bit of it. But, after 24 hours, oh my! The complaining begins.

As for me, well, I love the rain! I love the black clouds! And if I were to hear a peal of thunder or the crisp crackle of lightening, I would do a little dance of joy! I just love "weather." (and, yes, I really like wind and storms...not sure what that says about my personality! I think it's the intensity I love.)

Over the past couple of days, I've pondered the rain and how it is like the times of gloom or stormy weather in our lives--those rough patches, trials, times when the sun is not shining in our personal worlds. It's very similar. Give me a few days of difficulty, and I can "hang with it." Give me a few weeks of it, and I'm grumbling. Give me a longer trial, and I'm questioning, throwing out the "why?"s, and finding it hard not to ask God what He could possibly be thinking!

And yet, what did we see and experience today AFTER the gloom and as a result of the rain?

• the beauty of the snow on the distant mountains--through the removal of the smog cluttering up the airspace, previously blocking our vision of the beauty before us
• clean, sparkling trees and buildings--through the washing away of the accumulated dirt and silt
• water!! so very necessary for life and so hard to come by sometimes!
• and, in the very near future, green grass growing where the winter brown is currently reigning.

Similarly, what do we see and experience in our lives AFTER the gloom and as a result of the stormy times?

• clarity of vision--an ability to see things, issues, people, beauty more clearly and with fresh renewed eyes
• cleansing--a washing away of sinful behaviors, a sloughing off of the things that don't really matter
• water--refreshment, nourishment, a renewed sense of the presence of God in a way that satisfies our thirst
• growth--of character and depth in our relationship with the Lord
• and a deepened sense of appreciation and gratitude for what God has given and how He has been faithful.

Though it may take hard work and perseverance and a real check on our attitudes, we need to learn to accept, and even welcome, the rain in our lives--to be steadfast through the stormy weather, to be grateful for the gloom despite our feelings, and to seek the Son shine when the sun is not shining. For, without the rain, there is much we will miss in our lives.... (and, it is only IN the midst of the rain, with the sun [Son?!] shining through, that we get to see the reminder of God's promises and His faithfulness... the glorious beauty of the rainbow!... you gotta have the rain!)

a moody monday...

These photos are a documentary of what it was like in my little area of the country today... moody. This is the view out my window at work...and a little glimpse of the progression of the weather today.

It briefly began like this...

quickly went to this...
to even darker, more menacing clouds... and back to this...
Now, go back to the top and start over.

Do this about 12 times, and you'll see just what the crazy weather was like today here in Southern California!

And then, the day ended as in the photo below...

followed by a pinkish orange sunset and the most delightfully fluffy pink cotton candy clouds in the south and east. (Unfortunately, I was driving, and when I pulled over to take photos of the clouds, they had lost their pinkness. I have been known to take photos while driving, but I thought I would play it safe and pull over...and missed the shots. You'll have to use your imagination...)

(I think there are some days when my mood changes just as quickly and often as the weather did today!)

celebrate the Sabbath...reflecting on God's promises...

one of my favorite promises...

"...God has said,

"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

~Hebrews 13:5

...and another...

"...this is what the LORD says—...

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have summoned you by name; you are mine."

~Isaiah 43:1

There are so very many promises...

and God is faithful.

the critical thing of life...

When it comes to life

the critical thing is

whether you take things for granted

or take them with gratitude.

~G.K. Chesterton

...for granted?

or with gratitude?

the choice is ours...