Happy Valentine’s Day!

Jesus said that to follow Him, we must hate our parents, brothers, and sisters. This command always flummoxed me (“Aren’t we supposed to love our neighbor? to honor our parents?”) until my little brother asked me one day whether we were literally meant to hate our family members. As I prayed for wisdom on how to answer him, God gave me a beautiful word picture, which answered my brother’s question and mine!
 
We know that light bulbs can brighten an entire room: by their illumination we can read and engage in numerous activities after the sun sets. Yet we know too that after we have been outside in the strong sunlight, and we enter a lit room, everything seems dim by contrast. The light in the room is not inadequate, but it cannot compare to the brilliance of the sun. So too must our love for Jesus be so overwhelmingly intense that all other loves are dim in comparison.
 
When preparing to come to Ghana, my #1 worry was leaving behind my family, since I love them so very much. We’ve always been close, and I simply couldn’t imagine a year apart from them. Again and again the Lord evaluated my heart and challenged me to make sure that HE was first in my affections, so that obeying Him would make all else pale in comparison.
 
My journal records that on the day I flew from America, I waved good-bye to each beloved family member, “and I dearly love each one; but I realized with a little thrill as I continued standing in line that I LOVE MY JESUS MORE!” There is no way I could have spent eight months on the field thus far away from my family were it not that my love for Christ – and more importantly His love for me – sustains me.
 
God sweetly reminded me of all of this Sunday – and I didn’t realize until later that the reminder came on Valentine’s Day: what a precious appointment! With my whole heart I can say that Jesus is my Best Friend and loves like no one else. May He always be first in my heart…and in yours!
 
He’s fairer than lilies of rarest bloom
He’s sweeter than honey from out the comb
He’s all that my hungering spirit needs
I’d rather have Jesus and let Him lead