Word for Today, Wed, 14 Feb 2001: A Deeper Meaning to Valentine's Day

#1 · February 14, 2001, 1:44 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on February 14, 2001, 1:44 pm
Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

Today is the Valentine's Day edition of Word for Today.
Therefore, I found the Email that I received today from the
PCCWeb Daily Devotional to be right in line, not only with the
spirit of the day, but what I feel is an appropriate attitude of
love to have for those closest to us, personally.

For me, romance and doing special things for my wife and children
are a part of what the day is about. But a much deeper principle
applies here, one worth mentioning.

First of all, while we all like the "Valentine-like" experiences
in our lives, most of us recognize that an attitude of caring and
giving does not require a special day, (other than, perhaps, to
recognize the importance of such things). Furthermore, anyone
who has been in a relationship for any period of time knows that
there is no one single human being that can meet all of our
needs, all of the time. (Collectively, the people and things
around us are of considerable use and value, but we also are
painfully aware of our own limitations).

Such limitations are not present in our Creator. In fact, it is
He who meets our deepest needs. That is why those who do not
personally know Him are completely lost. Not only that, but many
of us who DO claim to know Him often forget our Source.

I urge all of you, today, to be people like Joe in the story.
But I also urge you to first go to the Source, from which we draw
all things. Know what it is to be completely accepted, deeply
loved, and fully forgiven - know God, and accept the gift of His
Son, Jesus Christ. If you know that gift and have accepted it,
cultivate your own personal relationship with Him. It will give
you the resources needed to be like the man in the story, Joe.

Brother Brian

From: PCCWeb Daily Devotional <daily@presbycan.ca>
Subject: Daily Devotional for Wednesday, February 14, 2001

PCCWeb Daily

Wednesday, February 14, 2001
Today's Devotional

Joe's Continuing Valentine

Ephesians 5:25 - Husbands love your wives, just as Christ loved
the church and gave himself up for her. (NIV)

"Men, do you remember how it used to be? Wouldn't you like to
rekindle that romantic flame again? Then surprise her with a
Valentine getaway at ..." The woman's voice from the car's radio
encouraged me to call to ensure a Valentine's Day she wouldn't
forget. The next commercial was from a florist reminding us guys
of our duty to shell out $85 for a dozen roses so she won't be
disappointed. This was followed by a restaurant's ad for a
Valentine's Day special "to romance her like you used to". The
commercials on the local radio station were doing their part to
remind me that Valentine's Day was just three days away. I had
turned on the car radio to get a traffic report, not a guilt
trip. I was on the way to the airport to pick up my wife of
almost 32 years, and I could remember how it used to be and how
much things had changed over the years.

I turned south on the highway, and a couple of more ads about
romance floated by me before I heard the traffic report, and I
thought about some friends. For convenience, let's call them Joe
and Peggy. I thought about how they would spend Valentine's Day.

When I first met Joe at work he was hard to get to know. Joe was
a very private person -- the kind of man who was inclined to keep
to himself and expected others to do the same. I felt honoured
that through the years our friendship had grown to the point that
he confided in me about Peggy's condition and the things that he
had done to help her through the years. For the last several
years, Peggy had suffered from acute chemical intolerance.
Anything foreign that she could not tolerate could result in a
deadly allergy attack.

Through the years, Joe had shared with me some of the ways he had
adapted to Peggy's illness. He enlightened me about such things
as testing for the right soap, and what cooking utensils were
best to prepare Peggy's special diet. Joe educated me on which
air purifier was best to help Peggy breathe and about his
continuing search for the right humidifier. Joe retired several
months ago, and we stayed in touch by way of the telephone.
Yesterday, for the first time since his retirement, we had a
chance to meet for a cup of coffee. When the conversation got
around to how Peggy was doing, Joe brought me up to date.

Joe told me that Peggy now needed breathing treatments every five
hours. He informed me of the new medical equipment that he had
bought to monitor her oxygen level and her pulse. Joe said that
it took an hour and half to wash her hair that day. Joe was not
complaining, but educating me on the meaning of dedicated love.

Joe remembers how it used to be, the sailing at Lake Lainer and
the trips they used to take, but not this Valentine's Day. Joe
will be cooking Peggy's meals, helping her breathe, and doing the
best he can to care for his Valentine of over 40 years.

I am thankful to God for Joe and what he shows about true love
and real romance. Joe demonstrates that real love is daily
serving the ones we love.

Prayer: Gracious and loving God, help us to take our definition
of love from yours, and let our practice be based on your
example. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Raymond Allgood allgood@bellsouth.net Buford, Georgia, USA

Today's Canadian Bible Society Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians
13:1-13 bible.gospelcom.net/bible?1+Corinthians+13:1-13

Pray about contributing a devotional - All our writing is done by
volunteers. Writing is not restricted to Canadians or
Presbyterians. E-mail the Devotional Editor, James T. Hurd
jthurd@nb.sympatico.ca.

Suggestions Or Comments About This Page? - Send them to the Daily
Technical and Oversight Editor, Robin Ross <rross@rapidnet.net>.

The PCCWeb Daily Devotional on the Internet The PrayerLine,
Subscription and Feedback features on this page, as well as a
searchable archive of over 1600 past devotionals, are all
accessible through www.presbycan.ca/daily.

=====
--
Brian Masinick, "The Mas", mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/
The Rules Have Changed...Get Paid to Surf the Web!
www.alladvantage.com/home.asp?refid=BKU-690

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail - only $35
a year! personal.mail.yahoo.com/

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

Today is the Valentine's Day edition of Word for Today.
Therefore, I found the Email that I received today from the
PCCWeb Daily Devotional to be right in line, not only with the
spirit of the day, but what I feel is an appropriate attitude of
love to have for those closest to us, personally.

For me, romance and doing special things for my wife and children
are a part of what the day is about. But a much deeper principle
applies here, one worth mentioning.

First of all, while we all like the "Valentine-like" experiences
in our lives, most of us recognize that an attitude of caring and
giving does not require a special day, (other than, perhaps, to
recognize the importance of such things). Furthermore, anyone
who has been in a relationship for any period of time knows that
there is no one single human being that can meet all of our
needs, all of the time. (Collectively, the people and things
around us are of considerable use and value, but we also are
painfully aware of our own limitations).

Such limitations are not present in our Creator. In fact, it is
He who meets our deepest needs. That is why those who do not
personally know Him are completely lost. Not only that, but many
of us who DO claim to know Him often forget our Source.

I urge all of you, today, to be people like Joe in the story.
But I also urge you to first go to the Source, from which we draw
all things. Know what it is to be completely accepted, deeply
loved, and fully forgiven - know God, and accept the gift of His
Son, Jesus Christ. If you know that gift and have accepted it,
cultivate your own personal relationship with Him. It will give
you the resources needed to be like the man in the story, Joe.

Brother Brian

From: PCCWeb Daily Devotional <daily@presbycan.ca>
Subject: Daily Devotional for Wednesday, February 14, 2001

PCCWeb Daily

Wednesday, February 14, 2001
Today's Devotional

Joe's Continuing Valentine

Ephesians 5:25 - Husbands love your wives, just as Christ loved
the church and gave himself up for her. (NIV)

"Men, do you remember how it used to be? Wouldn't you like to
rekindle that romantic flame again? Then surprise her with a
Valentine getaway at ..." The woman's voice from the car's radio
encouraged me to call to ensure a Valentine's Day she wouldn't
forget. The next commercial was from a florist reminding us guys
of our duty to shell out $85 for a dozen roses so she won't be
disappointed. This was followed by a restaurant's ad for a
Valentine's Day special "to romance her like you used to". The
commercials on the local radio station were doing their part to
remind me that Valentine's Day was just three days away. I had
turned on the car radio to get a traffic report, not a guilt
trip. I was on the way to the airport to pick up my wife of
almost 32 years, and I could remember how it used to be and how
much things had changed over the years.

I turned south on the highway, and a couple of more ads about
romance floated by me before I heard the traffic report, and I
thought about some friends. For convenience, let's call them Joe
and Peggy. I thought about how they would spend Valentine's Day.

When I first met Joe at work he was hard to get to know. Joe was
a very private person -- the kind of man who was inclined to keep
to himself and expected others to do the same. I felt honoured
that through the years our friendship had grown to the point that
he confided in me about Peggy's condition and the things that he
had done to help her through the years. For the last several
years, Peggy had suffered from acute chemical intolerance.
Anything foreign that she could not tolerate could result in a
deadly allergy attack.

Through the years, Joe had shared with me some of the ways he had
adapted to Peggy's illness. He enlightened me about such things
as testing for the right soap, and what cooking utensils were
best to prepare Peggy's special diet. Joe educated me on which
air purifier was best to help Peggy breathe and about his
continuing search for the right humidifier. Joe retired several
months ago, and we stayed in touch by way of the telephone.
Yesterday, for the first time since his retirement, we had a
chance to meet for a cup of coffee. When the conversation got
around to how Peggy was doing, Joe brought me up to date.

Joe told me that Peggy now needed breathing treatments every five
hours. He informed me of the new medical equipment that he had
bought to monitor her oxygen level and her pulse. Joe said that
it took an hour and half to wash her hair that day. Joe was not
complaining, but educating me on the meaning of dedicated love.

Joe remembers how it used to be, the sailing at Lake Lainer and
the trips they used to take, but not this Valentine's Day. Joe
will be cooking Peggy's meals, helping her breathe, and doing the
best he can to care for his Valentine of over 40 years.

I am thankful to God for Joe and what he shows about true love
and real romance. Joe demonstrates that real love is daily
serving the ones we love.

Prayer: Gracious and loving God, help us to take our definition
of love from yours, and let our practice be based on your
example. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Raymond Allgood allgood@bellsouth.net Buford, Georgia, USA

Today's Canadian Bible Society Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians
13:1-13 bible.gospelcom.net/bible?1+Corinthians+13:1-13

Pray about contributing a devotional - All our writing is done by
volunteers. Writing is not restricted to Canadians or
Presbyterians. E-mail the Devotional Editor, James T. Hurd
jthurd@nb.sympatico.ca.

Suggestions Or Comments About This Page? - Send them to the Daily
Technical and Oversight Editor, Robin Ross <rross@rapidnet.net>.

The PCCWeb Daily Devotional on the Internet The PrayerLine,
Subscription and Feedback features on this page, as well as a
searchable archive of over 1600 past devotionals, are all
accessible through http://www.presbycan.ca/daily.

=====
--
Brian Masinick, "The Mas", mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: http://www.geocities.com/masinick/
The Rules Have Changed...Get Paid to Surf the Web!
http://www.alladvantage.com/home.asp?refid=BKU-690

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Get personalized email addresses from Yahoo! Mail - only $35
a year! personal.mail.yahoo.com/