I came to know the Lover of my Soul in my early twenties and my perspective on love and romance began to shift dramatically. I had spent too many years yearning for the Knight in Shining Armor approach to come sweep me off my feet with all the things.
Silly boyfriends failed every time. Then even my unsuspecting husband fell short. When my perspective shifted and I allowed the Lover of my Soul to be the One to woo me, I found that I wanted to pour out love on my peeps more than running around with my empty Valentine’s cup and ask for love from everyone else.
Creativity became the name of the game.
Just as Jesus creatively woos us and loves on us, I wanted to creatively love my people. This morning the Lord blessed me with light streaming in the windows like a personal invitation to His side. I smiled as I knew He was there in the other chair next to me as I sipped the coffee and opened the Word.
The Creator is creative in nature and thus in His love for each one of His children.
He loves me through an encouraging word in the morning or a dolphin sighting on the shore or the breeze on my face as I watch the sunset off the deck in the evening.
Taking my cue from the Creator, I began to love my man and my boys in personal ways I could serve them, especially on Valentine’s Day. I gather small tokens of things that bless them each. I cut out construction paper hearts to scatter, writing my favorite things about each of them on several that get taped to their bedroom doors. I plan a favorite pasta dinner (pasta seems to extra romantic to this Lady & the Tramp lover!). I even make hollowed strawberries with cream cheese filling (a favorite family tradition for nearly 20 Valentines now!)
What if rather than seeking love and reaching for what we can receive from others; what if we spent this holiday of love getting filled by the One who loves us most and splashing that love on others?
How might you mimic your creative Creator and love those He has gifted you, friends, neighbors, family, creatively today?
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What a winsome reminder to pursue the Lover of our souls instead of expecting everyone and everything around us to fill that yearning.
Happy Valentine’s Day, Mariel! I’m off to share your tender words …
Thank you, Linda! May your day be filled with His love!
Such beautiful gifts of love you creatively give your boys! (And those strawberries sound amazing. I’ve never heard of that!)
Thanks! It is fun to love them like that! I am excited to dig into the berries tonight again with them! (It’s super simple. Just hollowed berries with the mix of melted cream cheese with powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Then I refrigerate them a couple hours to harden up the cheese a bit. Try it! YOu will bless yourself as much as your loves!!) 🙂
Love how you led us to the truth in this piece.
So grateful it blessed you 🙂
Lovely reminder that when we focus on loving others, we find much more fulfillment than when we are only wanting to receive love. Those little blessings to your boys will be treasured memories for them, I’m sure.
A fellow pasta-lover, visiting from Inspire Me Monday/Write 28 Days
🙂 so glad to have encouraged you! Yes, you’re right, the small things create beautiful traditions.
Mariel, I love your encouragement to shift our perspective from looking for love to loving on others. It seems like, as we develop a sense of understanding how much God loves us, then it’s easier to make that shift to pouring out love on others rather than waiting for someone to pour love on us. Great post!
thank you, so glad to have blessed you!
Creativity exudes you.
you’re such a sweet encourager, sweet friend