So... it's about that time of year again... all the flower and card and candy and jewelry stores are raking in the big bucks as the world prepares for Valentine's Day.  I'm not sure who came up with it, but I prefer to call February 14th "Singles Awareness Day".  It's the one day of the year when I'm more aware than ever that not only am I not dating, engaged, or married, but also that my situation doesn't appear to be changing any time soon.  I try my best not to let this day get to me: I surround myself with my single friends or try to do things to show my love to others; one year I even wrote a love letter to God (which was actually a pretty cool experience).  But it's not always easy to be content with the gift of singleness when the rest of the world is loudly celebrating (at least its idea of) romantic love.

Today I heard part of the love story of a couple from St. Andrew's Church.  While they were still dating, he was away from home, serving in the army, but whenever he found roses, he would pick some, press them under his mattress, and send them with his letters!  Isn't that the most adorable and romantic thing you've ever heard?  Tears gathered in my eyes as I listened to their love story which spans nearly 50 years of marriage.  That's what I want, I thought, a love that lasts a lifetime, through good and bad.  Will I ever get to experience what they did? 

As I thought more about their story, God gently reminded me of my love story with Him.  One of my favorite lines of Scripture comes from Jeremiah 31:3... "I have loved you with an everlasting love."  While I still hold out hope of experiencing a love that lasts through 50 years of marriage (and more), I know that the love of a man will never compare to the everlasting love of my God-- a love that will never disappoint or fail.

During our discipleship time today, Christine shared a Lifehouse song with me entitled "You Belong to Me".  The song is sung from the perspective of a man whose beloved is traveling the world.  He encourages her to see all the sights and enjoy them, but he asks her to remember that she belongs to him.  It was incredible to listen to that song and hear it as a love song from God to me.  "Just remember till you're home again, you belong to me."  I am HIS!  He loves me with an everlasting love, and He knows exactly how to romance even a hopeless romantic like me!

I pray that you will experience the everlasting love of God in a new way this Valentine's Day.

In Christ,
Katie