I gave mine away when I was only fourteen.  I can pinpoint the exact moment.  The year was 1970 and the date, February the 14^th, Valentine’s Day.  My heart became the property of nineteen year old, Jim Gaetz.  It had been a long day at Chilliwack Junior Secondary School filled with the regular drudgeries of math, social studies and science.  It was discouraging to watch couples walk hand in hand and to hear my friends chat about their romantic plans for the evening, and to open my Valentine’s cards only to find that they had been licked shut by GIRLS!  Don’t get me wrong.  I had many fun lovin’ girlfriends but getting a card from them was not the same as getting a card from a guy – especially the guy that made my stomach flutter every time I saw him.  As I walked home from school, I daydreamed about his eyes, his lips, his long hair, and his tight jeans.  Yep, I was smitten.  As I walked through the door I could hear the singsong voices of my teasing siblings, “Sharon’s got a boyfriend�.  Whaaaa? 

There on the coffee table in the living room was the most breathtaking arrangement of flowers – yellow roses, with a card addressed to “My Valentine, Sharon�.  I can remember longing for privacy to read the note.  I knew it would not be forthcoming as at least three of my sisters were waiting to see who had a crush on their sister.  I knew.  How overwhelming to think that the older, wiser, and deliciously handsome Jim thought that I was worth pursuing.  Many years have passed since that day and our love, tested by life, by deep sorrow, has remained strong.  I love Jim Gaetz and I’m not ashamed to say it out loud.  I feel cherished by him and even though years have passed and neither of us are the same people that we were in 1970 we are still smitten.

There is someone who loves you so much more than you could ever know.  He has known about you from before the foundations of the earth were laid.  He has written your name on the palm of his hand.  He thinks about you all the time.  A famous poet once wrote about Him, “How precious are your thoughts concerning me.  How vast is the sum of them.  Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.�    He has written a book to show you how much he loves you.  In this book he sends you the message that no matter how many times you screw up, no matter how many times you turn away from him, he will always pursue you.  Yes, the book is long, sixty-six books in fact.  But what a delicious read!  It’s filled with stories, parables, poetry and songs all pointing to the fact that He loved you so much that He was willing to die for you.  And in fact he did exactly that.  He did it so that you could spend eternity with him and know that you were absolutely, unequivocally loved.  Yes, you.  Quit looking around.  It’s you!

As you check out this website, take time to read the stories of people just like you who have been personally touched by this unconditional love.  I revel in His love for me.  Oh yeah, I know it’s undeserved.  I know that this kind of love doesn’t exist anywhere other than in God’s heart.  But I believe Him when He wrote “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.�

PS.  Jim’s note simply read “Happy Valentine’s Day�.  He was too shy to write about his true feelings.  God is not shy.  Check out his rather lengthy note to you – It’s called “The Bible�. 

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