Doug Creamer: Love

Published 12:00 am Saturday, February 18, 2017

Everyone at my church knows where I go after the service…Harris Teeter. Last week when I went shopping I noticed all kinds of blooming bulbs in pots, bunches of cut flowers, and some beautiful arrangements. Then there were lots of heart-shaped balloons and cute stuffed animals. And then there was the heart-shaped candy to let the ones we love know how much we love them.

Hopefully, you were one of the many shoppers purchasing the cards, flowers, balloons, and stuffed animals for your loved ones on Valentine’s Day. I also hope you were on the receiving end of some of those expressions of love. Valentine’s Day is a bright spot in a month that is usually marked by lots of cold and often snowy weather. Although the weather we had last weekend made me question Punxsutawney Phil’s forecast of eight more weeks of winter.

Valentine’s Day is a wonderful opportunity to express your love to those who mean the most to you in life. But I seriously recommend that it not be the only day you express your love and appreciation to your loved ones. We need to take every opportunity that the good Lord affords us to let people know we love and care for them. I don’t believe that love can survive a whole year without expressing itself more often.

Children need to hear from their parents that they are loved and vice-versa. Grandparents need to express their love and pride in their grandchildren and grandchildren need to let their grandparents know that they are loved and appreciated. Spouses can get caught up in the busyness of life and forget to let the most important person in their lives know that they are loved. We depend on each other to make it through life.

Love is more than a feeling we have when we are happy with another person. Love is not dependent upon circumstances. You know love is real when the person stands beside you even when things get messy. It seems in today’s society that people give up on love, especially when things get rough. I strive to be the kind of person who is there for my family and friends through the good, the bad, and the ugly.

When I look back on the most difficult times in my life I can see where my Father in Heaven was always there for me. No matter how dark or painful the situation, God stood by my side to help see me through. His Spirit comforted and guided me through the murky waters. It’s because of His faith in me and His encouragement to my spirit that I found the strength and character to survive. Those stories have become my testimony.

God loves each of us more than we can imagine. He sent Jesus to give us a personal invitation into a relationship. God knew that there was nothing we could do to take away our sin and failures so He made Jesus die on a cross for us. God has done everything He can to connect with each one of us, now the decision about having a relationship with our Father in Heaven lies solely in our hands.

God loves us so much that He lets us choose if we want Him in our lives. Some people ignore God while others shut Him out. I can’t imagine the pain God must feel for those lost souls. Some people only give God Sunday morning. Can you imagine how God must yearn for a deeper and more meaningful relationship? God is not about a bunch of rules. He is about a living, breathing relationship filled with unconditional love.

God loves us, in fact, He likes us too. He created us and He wants to get to know us. He wants to be closer to you than any human being could ever be in your life. He wants to walk with you through the trials of life. He wants to help you grow into the man or woman of God that He knows you can become. He loves taking a messed up life and fixing it. He is planning a future that is bright and hopeful.

I want to encourage you to open your hearts to God’s unconditional, non-judgmental love. He made you, quirks and all, and He loves you. He’s written a book about His love for you. He sent His Son into the world for you. The Spirit is calling out to you. What more can we ask God to do? It’s up to us to respond, to turn around and open our arms so we can receive the greatest love of all.