SIGNAL FAILED – CHECK CONNECTIVITY AND TRY AGAIN

John 3:16 NIV For God so loved the world He gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. Not my favorite holiday I must admit. I am a 60+ never-married single woman. I used to ignore the Valentine’s Day ads and spend the day doing something I enjoyed, trying not to think about my lack of a boyfriend or husband.

I asked God what to do about this Grinch-like attitude during Valentine’s Day. God showed me that my love of giving is directly proportionate to my reluctance to receive. After pondering this, I began to see that when I am the giver, I feel a measure of control. When the roles are reversed, I generally feel vulnerable, which makes me uncomfortable, even with Jesus.

The heart of the problem? Each of us has a “love receptor valve.” The love of God, as well as the people He has put in our lives, enters our hearts through this valve. As children we are more likely to have an open heart that willingly receives love. As we grow, our love receptor valve sometimes gets clogged.

I misunderstood the words of Jesus. Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35 NIV) Jesus did not say, “Make sure your gift-giver does not go to too much trouble to bless you. Do not allow anyone to give you more than you give them.” (Not in the Bible anywhere.)

My love receptor valve gets clogged when I fear abandonment, not measuring up, or that my imperfections will make me unlovable. I can know that my friends and family love me, but when I am afraid of losing them because I do not measure up, I do not trust the love that is shown to me. This produced loneliness and isolation.

I struggle at times with the same feelings about God. The barriers that kept me from connecting with my friends and family also kept me at arms-length with God. Not being able to receive God’s love affects our eternal destiny. God loves us so much that He made a way for us to be reconciled to Him through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In order to receive God’s gift of salvation, the only thing we need to do is ask. We do not have to earn the gift God offers us, nor do we need to be perfect to receive it. We simply need to ask for it. “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12 NIV) How tragic it would be to close our hearts off from this gift!

Who? Me? Have you asked God to give you His gift of salvation? God longs to show you His love. If you are looking for forgiveness, Jesus is available and eager to hear from you. If you do not know Jesus as Savior and Lord, I urge you to consider your need and what God offers us in Jesus. If you have received God’s gift of salvation, do you need to let more of His love into your life?

One More Step: Today I will ask God to teach me how to clean my love receptor valve. I will gratefully receive gifts given to me and thank Jesus for coming so I could receive His gift of salvation.

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!