**Beyond the Roses and Chocolates**
As we celebrate Valentine’s Day with grand gestures and sentimental tokens, many of us can’t help but feel a pang of loneliness. The weight of responsibility bears down on single mothers, while widowed hearts ache with memories of loved ones lost. Young singles wonder why they’re still flying solo, and married couples struggle to rekindle the flame that once burned bright.
But what happens when the candy wrappers are discarded and the flowers wilt? Is there a love that can lift our burdens, dry our tears, and satisfy our deepest longings?
Renowned author Madeleine L’Engle shares a poignant story about her young son, who would act out in tantrums, seeking affirmation of love. She would envelop him in a warm embrace, calming the storm within. Similarly, God wraps us in His loving arms, soothing our fears and doubts.
“I strike out at Him in pain and fear, and He holds me under the shadow of His wings,” L’Engle writes. “Sometimes He appears to me to be so unreasonable that I think I cannot live with Him, but I know that I cannot live without Him.”
This unconditional love is the anchor that holds us fast, a love that doesn’t depend on our worth or reactions. It’s a love that has been poured out for us since the beginning of time, filling the empty spaces of our hearts.
In a world that often measures love by grand gestures, let us not forget the quiet, steadfast love that sustains us through life’s joys and struggles. May we find comfort in the knowledge that we are loved, not because of what we do or who we are, but because of who God is – a loving Father who holds us close, no matter what.
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