It's Valentine's Day tomorrow!
And LOVE is literally in the air.
Seriously, though. You'll find ALL manner of items with the theme of hearts, roses, candy & the like in practically every store at this time of year. School children will pass out tiny Valentines to their crushes (I remember those days), boyfriends will give a box of chocolates to their current girlfriends, and husbands will take their wives to a nice dinner without the kids.
But do we truly know the history of the holidays we celebrate---and WHY we do so? In this particular holiday, the true meaning of love is often forgotten. It's based on appearances. Or touches only the surface of a person. Let's go deeper.
Even if you're not looking, you'll find articles & blog posts & social media on this subject of love everywhere. And we all know our Lord states that of the commandments He has given, love is the "greatest of these." (1 Cor. 13:13)
But I wished to focus on another piece of love (that deeper part).
Today, I have a challenge for you. :]
And it is this: Find LOVELY.
"What do could you possibly mean??" you may ask. "That's just an adjective!" Grammatically, you are most certainly correct. But in this case, I challenge you to make it a verb. TO BE.
> > > > > < < < < <
Over the last few years, lovely has unknowingly become a favorite word of mine. I've tried throughout my writings to widen my vocabulary & I believe lovely became one then. So, to research & draft this post I looked up its definition and rather like how Google (of all things) defines it:
adj. Exquisitely beautiful.
(Informal) Very pleasant or enjoyable; delightful.
(Informal) Very pleasant or enjoyable; delightful.
Merriam-Webster says it this way:
adj. 1. Lovable (obsolete) 2. Delightful for beauty, harmony, or grace; attractive 3. Grand, swell (a lovely morning) 4. Eliciting love by moral or ideal worth
. . . and as a noun: 1. A beautiful woman 2. A lovely object
You get the idea. :]
All that said, when people think of me, I'd love my legacy to be, "She has a lovely heart," or "what a lovely, kind person." What about you? This ties back to the Titus 2 book study I've been taking part in. We all, whether young or old, have someone who looks up to us in some way or another. If we are a lovely type of human bean, don't you think that little girl, or even the older woman, might want to strive for that as well?
> > > Be a lovely person.
> > > See the lovely in everyone.
> > > Show lovely to others.
Be ENCOURAGED! Lovely is an inside & out kind of thing.
> > > > > < < < < <
Whether you're a single girl who currently gets as much attention as a white crayon, or one who is getting ready to marry her best friend, know this: You are LOVED. Valentines can be a holiday where you refocus on the love of God. (Rather, we need to do that every day, but seeing as the holiday of love is here, there's no better time than the present, right?) God loves you far more than any man could. And any man worth his salt, who vows to love you for the rest of his days, will make it his goal to strive every day to match that Love from the very One who gives it.
Oh love of God, how rich & pure!
How measureless & strong!
It shall forever more endure---
The saints' & angels' song.
Choose JOY. Find LOVELY.
> > > > > > > > > > < < < < < < < < < <
Do you have any fun plans for Valentines tomorrow? Are you cuddling up with your cat & a favorite movie? Or maybe going on a romantic date with your special guy?
It's my plan to prepare a nice luncheon for my man (with baby present, of course) on my GORGEOUS china dishes by candlelight (in the daytime??) and with fancy goblets of sparkling red grape cider. Then Friday, I believe we're going to take Gabe to his Grammie's house while we go for an evening out. :] Life is good. God is faithful. And doesn't it feel nice to be loved?
Oh, girl. What a BEAUTIFUL way to look at things and strive to live. I, well, LOVE this. ;D But seriously, I think we too, too often look at the negative, dark things of life, and forget to just LOVE. To love people, to live in a loving manner. To BE love. Because that is truly the key to everything: love. And yet hate is what we see most of, especially these days.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely want to "find lovely". To be, see, and show it. AWK. This was so inspiring and such a good reminder! You are a true gem.
Happy Valentine's, sweet friend! <333
Awww, you are the SWEETEST! I agree. We always seem to dwell on the negatives for some reason. So glad to hear you're inspired! Bless you, m'dear!
DeleteHappy Valentines!!! <3 <3 <3
Thank-you for this beautiful post, my lovely friend! I love this unique approach. To choose joy and find lovely. I am definitely endeavoring to focus more on finding the lovely around me.
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure. *^ - ^* It seems I need uniqueness in these things in order for them to sink in, ya know? I need reminders like this EVERY DAY.
Delete