----GOD IS LOVE~~

-"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and everyone
who loves is born of God and knows God.
The one who does not love does not know God, for GOD IS LOVE."
----(1 John 4:7-8 /emphasis mine)

--"Haven't you heard...'the two will become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one."
---(Matthew 19:4-6) ~

~~Long-stemmed red roses, thick boxes of chocolates, huge stuffed bears holding plush hearts--it was easy to see that Valentine's Day was just around the corner! But as I stood in the card aisle of the grocery store that morning, I wasn't there to buy sentimental verse or romantic humor. I was there to choose a get-well card for our friend Jan who had suffered a bad fall, breaking both her arm and pelvic bone.

Jan and her husband Dwight work together, building beautiful homes in our community. They had been finishing up one that they were going to in to when, late one evening, Jan misjudged the position of the second-story stairway and fell eleven feet onto the hardwood floor below. Dwight called for help and stayed beside her until the ambulance arrived.

When my husband Gary and I went to visit her, we found Jan sitting in a wheelchair in the kitchen of the duplex where they were living. "Oh, Jan, we're so sorry you're hurt!"

Jan laughed. "Oh, it could have been lots worse!"

A hospital bed took up most of the living room. Dwight hovered nearby, eager to get her a glass of water or reposition her cushions. He spoke in hushed tones about how scared he had been when she fell. Then, as we were leaving, I noticed a small mattress leaning up against the wall by the front door. Dwight smiled. "That's my bed. I put it on the floor beside her in case she needs anything in the night."

Flowers and cards and even plush bears are fine. But I knew that what I'd just witnessed went way beyond those. This was true romance. I slipped my had into Gary's. "Happy Valentine's Day," I whispered.

-"Lord God, You are the source of all real love. Thank You for loving us, so we can love you and others! In the Name above all other names, Jesus.~ amen"

--Daily Guideposts/MLC--"Love Has A Name" (lyrics) Jesus Culture (feat. Kim Walker-Smith) //<https://youtu.be/Igdy0-cetuw>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~