Psalm 37:4 – Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. (NRSV)

How many of us can remember the image of Charlie Brown, of the comic strip Peanuts, sitting with his back against the mailbox post? He was dismayed that he had found no note from the little red-haired girl, who was the object of his affection. As we approach this day of hearts, chocolates, and flowers, one can be forgiven for feeling out of the loop if, like many of us, we are for one reason or another not able to celebrate this day of love with a designated other.

Some of us may be bereaved after many long years of partnership. Some of us may find ourselves having loved and lost, unable to find the stability that we had hoped for. The truth is that God knows our needs, offers to lick our wounds, and provides for us everything that we need, if we devote ourselves to serving Him and letting Him be our focus.

I would like to think that had I lived in the third century AD, Saint Valentine of Rome would have been a friend of mine. He helped persecuted Christians find love and marry. Since then, he has become the patron saint of beekeepers. What a gift to us all: sweetness and love! He was martyred for his efforts on February 14, 269 AD, under the rule of Emperor Claudius II. But many centuries later, we still remember his gifts to those around him, we indulge in a little sweetness, and we pass along greetings of love.

The psalmist has a positive suggestion for anyone sitting forlorn against the mailbox. If we can put our trust in the Lord, He can take all our angst and enable us to move on to a more productive life beyond the spirit of those days of the year that elude us. Sweetness and love are best savoured in Him.

Prayer:

Dear Lord we thank You for the day
When one we love passed by our way
But better yet that You provide
A better Friend to take our side.

If we can trust and put aside
Our angst and fears and just abide
In all You've promised for us clearly
These holidays won't bum us yearly.

The little notes You send each day
Will carry us along our way
Your Word sent to us from above
Is better sweetness, better love.

Amen.

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About the author:

Stan Hunter <stan@stanhunter.ca>
Port Carling, Ontario, Canada
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