Happy Valentine’s Day friends! If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I LOVE this holiday. Christmas is still #1 in my book but Valentine’s Day is probably #2 or 3! I’m one of those weirdos who has loved it whether I was single, dating, or married. (There was one year where it rolled around right after a breakup which wasn’t fun lol but OTHER than that, I’ve always loved it). I am loving it even MORE this year now having Shiloh! She still seems kind of young to understand the concept of opening presents (she’s more entertained by the box it came in haha), but I love celebrating love today with her.
Every night I lay Shiloh down in her crib I tell her “mommy loves you, daddy loves you…and Jesus loves you even MORE”. I know Valentine’s Day is about cupid and arrows and whatever but I personally love it because I think it’s a reminder to us that WE ARE LOVED – maybe by a husband or by your mom or your best friend but ultimately, and most importantly by Jesus! And maybe that sounds so cliche and lame or cheesy to you. But the truth is, His love for us is where our ultimate security and purpose lies.
Don’t get me wrong – I love flowers and chocolate and presents as much as the next girl. I also love my husband with my whole heart and I’m so thankful for our marriage. But the ultimate love worth celebrating today, no matter your relationship status or how you’re feeling on this day…is the fact that Jesus loves YOU. Today. Exactly how you are. Maybe you’re feeling alone or like a total failure or completely unloveable. Let me remind you of what’s true then, even if there’s just one girl reading this who needs it: you are wholly, and perfectly loved exactly how you are, right now, in this moment. As I type these words…I sit here and let that truth sink down deep into my being.
I pray that one day Shiloh has a Godly husband who she loves to pieces and who loves her and treats her like the queen she is. But even more than that…I pray that Shiloh always knows she doesn’t need a boyfriend or a husband in order to know that she’s loved. I pray that deep in the fiber of her being, starting today as a 15 month old baby girl…that she will know she is so loved by the Creator of this universe who also created her tiny perfect little self and numbered the hairs on her head and looks at her and says “she is precious. she is mine“.
To be real with y’all…it’s been a challenging few weeks for me. With the move and life and other personal things going on…I’ve personally been battling feeling like a failure in so many areas in life. I’m so thankful to be able to take dedicated time today…to take a deep breath, and remind myself that no matter what, I am loved. Jesus looks at me and says I am enough, I am His, and He loves me so much. And maybe some of you guys need that reminder today too – whether you’re maybe feeling not good enough or alone or whatever it might be. Remember this today:
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.
Romans 8
Let’s all celebrate the fact that we are SO loved today, and go and spread that love to everyone around us! Happy Valentine’s Day!
xo Lauren
