A Valentine's Message

All my life, I've sung the song "Jesus loves me, this I know..."  Wow, did it and does it take a long time (still doing so) to begin to even know such love.

This morning a person came to my mind, who died last year, after a long, long struggle with cancer.  I was thinking about her surviving brother, how he was the only child remaining now.  Also, what it was like for her to have suffered so.  I was surprised too, at the thoughts God gave me later on concerning this sister in Christ.

One thought was...we tend to think in terms of quantity of years concerning our lives instead of quality.  She lived to the age of 56 - to us so young.  Yet she certainly had quality - for she was able to see her children grown.  AND for years, she worked every day in a well known ministry where her "job" (really her joy!) was to read letters from saints writing in and respond with words of encouragement.  Powerful, huh?  She did this every single day for years!

Now she is in heaven with other saints who have gone on before her.  She is also there with all the apostles, Paul, Samuel, Moses, David, and so many more.  Most of all she is in the presence of our Lord.  This is quality.

But here is what "did me in" so to speak about this.  I would consider this the greatest Valentine's we could possibly have.

I did not humanly "conjur" her up in my mind or bring her to remembrance this morning.  Someone else brought her to mind:  the Holy Spirit.  He was saying to my heart how He remembers everyone - no one is forgotten by God - no one.  And while men on earth get busy, busy, busy (ofttimes with our own plans, agendas), the Holy Spirit of God is breathing His own life, love, grace and mercies on hearts, about hearts.

It's the remembrance part that gets me.  How many out there "feel" forgotten, not loved, not remembered.  Probably more than we could count.

Yet God reminded me today He forgets no one - even if they've left the earth.  He has forgotten NONE of His promises, His purpose, His plans, His redemption for us and to us.  He has not forgotten us - for we are planted in Him so deeply, that as Twila Paris' song has described it: 

"We cannot be torn apart, without it tearing out a heart!"

Happy Valentine's from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, and from the Holy Spirit - Lover of our very beings. 

All that remains then is that we are in His heart forever.

Sue Gaither