Monthly Archives: February 2012

Radiating Love

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Once we flip our month-to-month calendars from January to February, thoughts of red hearts and Valentines liven up the winter doldrums. But when I returned from England recently, I was greeted by the lights of our Christmas tree. I hadn’t had time to dismantle it before racing off in mid-January, though I did box up everything but the tree. It had still looked and smelled fresh, and I knew its lights would be a warm welcome home.

The morning after getting back, I studied the still-pretty tree in the pre-dawn darkness of an early jet lagged morning. What a shame to take it down. And then I thought of February… and hearts. Although I have a plastic bin filled with red decorations, I hadn’t opened it since we’d lived in the Chicago area, 3 Valentine Days back. And suddenly I wanted to take a look.

When I opened the bin, its red hearts seemed to say, “Unpack us, and spread the love!” Right on top was a bag of red heart-shaped light-toppers meant to snap onto a string of tiny white lights. I began pulling Christmas ornaments from the tree, leaving the wintery ones: snowflakes, snowmen, mini-sleds, icicles, and anything with a heart on it. When I popped the red toppers onto the tiny white lights, and voila! We had a Valentine tree!

As the bin emptied, the cottage took on a red-heart glow. I reminisced about the fun of decorating at our old house with the children and felt like a kid again myself. When I’d finished, “love” radiated from every room.

God enjoys decorating, too, and after Christmas and Easter, Valentines Day surely must be his next favorite. He’s placed heart-shaped decorations throughout his Word so as we read it, we’ll feel his love radiating from every page. To quote, “God’s love is unfailing; his love reaches to the heavens; he directs his love to us; he delivers those he loves; he is forgiving and abounding in love; his love stands firm forever; he crowns us with love and compassion; God is love.”

In hundreds of love-expressions, God lets us know what he thinks of us. When I hear people say they aren’t interested in a relationship with this God, I’m astounded. Why would anyone turn from such potent love? Instead we often substitute conditional, full-of-holes human love that disappoints and devastates.

Only God’s love can perfectly fill the love-need within each of us. He knows us completely but loves us still, no one individual more than another. As a matter of fact, he loves us even as much as he loves his own Son, proving it by surrendering Jesus to death for our sakes.

The hearts scattered about my house are rinky-dink compared to the true love of God, but they’re a reminder that he loved me before I even knew him. And now that I know him, I have the immense privilege of loving him back.

“We love him, because he first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)

New and Improved

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Back in 1971 when I was in grad school, one of my classes dealt with the legal ramifications of advertising claims. For example, no label could contain the word “new” or “improved” unless actual product change was measurable.

Companies worked hard to alter their merchandise just enough to claim they were new or improved, since advertising studies showed buyers were positively influenced by those words. But does new or improved always mean better? What’s wrong with a successful product staying the same?

On a recent shopping trip, new and improved became the cause for frustration. I don’t drink much coffee, so when I buy it, I spring for the good kind. But while standing in my regular grocery store in the coffee aisle, I suddenly had trouble finding my usual favorite. Eventually I saw why: new and improved packaging. Starbucks had forced me to spend extra time finding what I wanted, in the name of progress. Very irritating.

The next day I was at Walgreens in search of my calcium gummies and couldn’t find them, either. When I asked for help, the clerk pointed and said, “They’re right in front of you.”

“No,” I said. “They’re not,” I’d just spent several minutes impatiently scanning the shelves for the familiar kiwi green lid.

She reached for one of the bottles, but I shook my head. “That’s not it.”

“Yes it is,” she said, “just with a new label.”

She was right. New and improved. Maybe.

Is my reluctance to appreciate change a function of getting old? Young people see change as adventure. The unknown is a happy chance for a new beginning.

But is there such a thing as too much change?

We widows have been asked to embrace extreme change, a new single life that usually isn’t improved. How are we supposed to cope with that? God’s answer, like the answers to all questions, is in the Bible. We see he hasn’t changed from eternity past until now, and he’ll always be exactly like he is, because a way to make him new or improved doesn’t exist. He’s already perfect, just the way he is. So does he want us to follow his example and shun change?

The answer is no.

His Word says he’s eager to see change in us. When we embrace his plan of salvation, our change becomes radical. He makes us into new and improved people, bringing us closer to being who he intended us to be in the first place. So, despite his reality of never needing to change, he’s all for change in us.

As for all that new packaging? I’m trying to change my attitude.

 “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Triple Threat

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I’m a devotee of Neosporin, the triple-antibiotic ointment used to avoid infection and hasten the healing of minor skin wounds. Having a history of finger cuts, knee scrapes and barefoot punctures, I’ve noticed that skin fixes itself much quicker if I smear wounds with Neosporin and cover them with Band-Aids.

While working around the house yesterday along with 3 Neosporin-slathered injuries in various stages of healing, I heard a question from the Lord: “Does your triple-antibiotic salve remind you of anything?” And right away the Trinity came to mind, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

In a way, these 3 “Persons” are our triple-remedy against evil. We can’t fight the devil in traditional ways, because he’s a cunning opponent who has nothing in common with skinned knees or cut fingers. We desperately need a way to avoid being infected by his evil schemes.

Ephesians 6 reminds us that when we’re battling him, we aren’t fighting fleshly wounds, so triple-antibiotic ointment won’t help. Instead we’re waging a more serious war, one with “the powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil.” (v.12)

Those descriptions are scary, but God doesn’t want us to get lost in fear. Instead we’re to take advantage of our Trinity-triple-threat against all evil, Father, Son and Spirit. Together or as individuals they pack a powerful wallop against anything the devil can dish out, and we can have victory over evil only because of the three of them.

The Bible is full of people who Satan earmarked for attack, people who were given choices between his evil and God’s goodness, and not much has changed since then. Every day we’re all presented with the same two choices, and the difference between failure and success depends on two things:

  1. whether or not we really want to overcome evil, and
  2. whether or not we seek help from the Trinity-triple-threat to do so.

All of us have a natural bent toward evil. When we give in to it, we’re siding with Satan. When we fight it, we’re siding with God. The old cartoon with a mini-devil on one shoulder and a mini-angel on the other isn’t too far from the truth. But just as in the cartoon, we can’t overpower evil by ourselves. We need the triple-threat of the Father, Son and Spirit. They’ve already won over the devil (back at Calvary) and as a result, can see to it that we win, too.

Tonight as I re-bandage my superficial wounds and smear on fresh blobs of triple antibiotic ointment, I’ll picture the Trinity-triple-threat working on my behalf… which will knock that mini-devil right off my shoulder.

“Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God.” (Romans 8:10)