Valentine's Love

(by Lorie Codispoti)

According to the Christian History Institute there are several St. Valentines, who were all martyred about the same time in the third century.

First, we have the Valentine who aided Christians who were being persecuted. He was imprisoned, where he found faith in Christ and refused to deny Him. He was tortured, beaten with clubs and then beheaded. He was said to have written letters to his friends during that time that read, “Remember your Valentine.”

Second, there’s the legend of a Valentine who was martyred when he was caught secretly marrying couples so that husbands wouldn’t have to go to war.

And third, we read about the Valentine who was a priest that refused to sacrifice to pagan gods. From his prison cell he shared God’s love through his testimony. As a result of his prayers the jailer’s daughter was healed and on the day of his execution he left her a note that was signed, “your Valentine.”

There isn’t enough evidence to determine which Valentine our holiday was named after, but the common thread that stitches these hearts together is their love for Christ and a willingness to share that love no matter what it cost them.

Remember the characteristics of love in 1Corinthians 13…

Love is long suffering and kind. It doesn’t envy, parade itself, or puff up. It doesn’t behave rudely, seek its own, provoke, or think evil. It doesn’t rejoice in sin, but rather in the truth. It bears, believes, hopes, and endures all things.

Each of these Valentines was willing: to bear things unpleasant - to believe that God had a plan - and to hope in something they couldn’t see. They were martyred for their willingness to endure the hardship this kind of love requires.

If you peel back our culture’s shallow layers of fluffy tissue paper love, you will find that the gift bag is empty. This kind of “love” is short lived. The slightest wind of trouble will shred the superficial layers and blow the fragments in every direction.

Christ came to show us what true love looks like, and then leave us a gift. When we open His gift of a new heart we find that He enables us to love like He does.

Will it cost us something? Yes.

The question we need to answer is not about the price.

The question we have to answer is are we willing to bear, believe, hope, and endure all things in order to show the world what the love of God looks like.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

GloryUsGate.blogspot.com

Trust The Teacher

(by Lorie Codispoti)

The art teacher handed everyone a large sheet of thick, white paper and a box of crayons.

We were instructed to fill the canvas with color. Every square inch of white was to be covered with bright, bold colors.

I remember spending a lot of time pressing the crayons hard and swirling little bits of color all over the page. Upon completion I held up my masterpiece and felt a surge of total satisfaction. I was ready for the bell to ring and school to be over so that I could take my picture home and hang it up.

We weren't ready to go home though. The project was only half finished.

I can still remember the horrible feeling that came over me as the art teacher instructed us to pick up the black crayon and cover all the color with a layer of black wax. None of the bright colors were to show through the darkness.

What?

How could I possibly follow those instructions? How was I supposed to pick up that black crayon and ruin what I had just worked so hard to create when everything in me wanted to run from her directive?

Truly an artist, our teacher knew what the response would be, yet she patiently walked through the process with each student. She made time for the layers of our emotions to be fully expressed. We all thought our creations were about to be destroyed.

With every inch of darkness that crept over the beauty of our work, our teacher admonished us to trust her - to trust that if we were careful to follow her instructions we'd have something even more beautiful when we finished.

After what seemed like a very long time, each student’s design was filled with black wax and everyone’s canvas looked exactly alike.

The teacher then took her own black canvas and attached it to the easel for all of us to see. She picked up a little plastic tool, shaped like a pencil, and began to scratch out an incredibly beautiful scene on her canvas. With each stroke of her tool you could see the expressions on each student’s face begin to change. The more she scratched the more amazed we were. It was magical! The beauty of the colors pierced through the blackness and the butterfly she etched appeared to be three-dimensional. We were truly mesmerized by what we had just learned and eagerly went to work on our own pictures.

The Lesson

Whether your canvas is the size of a poster board or an index card, every block serves as a mark of color in the timeline of your life. You might think that the picture is finished and ready for display when the page is filled with color.

It’s not!

Every good teacher plans their lessons in such a way that they captivate and test each student. And every student must decide if they will trust and follow the instructions of their teacher.

In the book of James the author tells us that the testing of our faith develops perseverance. And that “Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:3-4)

Friends, our Teacher has not yet called for the bell to ring, giving us permission to take our life’s work home.

You may be at the place where you are still working on filling your canvas with color, or you may be at a place where you are slowly watching the darkness take over the beauty of your work.

Hold on! There’s another step in the process.

With the precision of a skilled craftsman, the Teacher picks up His tool and begins to pierce the darkness by scratching something into your life. Colors begin popping out everywhere and it isn’t long before you realize that the black layer now serves as the backdrop to MasterFULL work of art. With each stroke of the Teacher’s tool the details begin to jump off the page. The hodgpodge bits of random colors has been carefully and strategically used to create a beautiful portrait of a life well lived.

The King has reserved a space on His gallery wall for your life to be displayed. It will testify of His goodness and showcase the Light that was etched through the darkness.

One day you will hear the sound that dismisses class, signaling that it's time for you to take your work home.

But, until that time comes - until you hear the bell ring - TRUST THE TEACHER!

GloryUsGate.blogspot.com