Month: February 2022

Remember those early days of your teenage years? Especially those when you were young and in love? There were butterflies in the tummy, feelings of nervousness. Maybe you were anxious and had feelings of anxiety. There were days of puppy-love, of falling in love for the first time. Days when you wondered if you were going to be liked. You wondered if he’d find you pretty, or good-looking. Or, maybe you were in love for the umpteenth time and still were uncertain of the future. Those years of growing up were tough ones!
But maybe somethings haven’t changed! You might still be uncertain of the future. Doubt, fear, assurance, etc. can linger when one is in love.
I remember feelings brought about by love songs of my day.
I remember the words: “Can it be I stayed away too long; did I leave your heart while I was gone?” (The Jackson 5-I Want to Be Where You Are).
I remember how my heart jumped when I saw that special girl. I remember the churning in my stomach, the butterflies, the insecurities, gathering my nerves to speak, at the same time, having the desires to hide! All symptoms of love. It’s amazing, but one can hear a particular song that will automatically place us 20, 30, or 50 years back in time to special moments and special places. We get transported back to where we were, how we felt, things we said. We instantly become young again. We relive occasions we may have forgotten about. We picture everything from scents to clothing, to feelings and thoughts perhaps buried under layers of memories and different, or new experiences.
Love songs can remind us of painful past experiences as well as tender loving moments. We might recall falling in love, getting engaged, even married, or breaking up and lots of heartaches. Loving moments can be extremely vivid.
Those experiences/memories help shape how we now love others. New and great love songs can heal our past. They can push us ahead to where we currently are in life; to where we live. How’s your heart? Is it rejoicing with newfound love? Is it still reeling? Is it crying about days gone by- years gone by?
I remember a poem of long ago that went:
“I once had a heart and it was true but now it is gone from me to you. Take care of it as I have done ‘Cause you have two and I have none.”
Maybe, that’s where you find yourself these days: broken, taken advantage of, beating yourself with one of those mechanical legs attached to a rope you pull on and it gives you a swift kick right in the but-tushki.
I hear you. God can feel your pain.
Be of good courage, greater days lie ahead.
Like a clock ticking away telling time, our hearts beat and pulse to the rhythm of love. Try singing this song
“Lord, I give You my heart, I give You my soul,
I live for You alone. And every breath I take,
Every moment I’m awake, Lord, have Your way in me.”
(Hillsong Worship-This Is My Desire).
Although Chief Joseph died of “A Broken Heart,” it didn’t compare to Jesus.’ Jesus had His heart broken by the entire world. God’s heart also was shattered.
Yet with a loving heart and open arms, He still loves you and waits for you. His Valentine’s message to you is: “My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways” (Proverbs 23:26). Let Him know you love Him today. It’s fine if you ate the chocolates, He only wants the heart.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
God Bless,
Sam

Softly we ran through the snow. It was a game of two-hand touch football. The snow was 16” deep. The winds howled. Hail rained on us. We ducked our heads and took giant steps in and out of the snow. We covered a few feet of ground with each run before feeling the exhaustion. As we tried to look up, the cold snow bit into our faces. Ice-cold winds cut deep into the skin. We stuck our tongues out and tasted flurries. But we trudged on. We passed the ball, we tackled each other. It wasn’t about winning; it was about fun. It was about seeing how far we could get by raising our legs as high as possible to take one step. We fell on our faces. We fell on our backs. We stared at the skies with nearly-closed eyes and swallowed the silence around us.
Our heads felt as if we were spinning. It was as if we were in a movie where the camera man is circling around us capturing our every move. We could stay there all day had it not been for our freezing feet. Hail beat upon us and we shielded our faces with our freezing hands. Our pinkish ears felt like they might fall off. Then we laughed! We screamed! We knew that in the silence no one could hear us. “I’m heading home to warm up” I said. “Me too!” said another. “Yep!” was the consensus. No score and no losers, for we were all winners. We had tasted the coolness of snow. We had basked in its chill. We had rested in its depths. We had looked into God’s treasures of snow and hail; we had felt His Hand upon us (Job 38:22).
Have you been touched by His hand? Have you fallen on your face before Him? Have you entered into His secret rooms? Do you know Him well enough to share your secrets with Him?
When you do, you’ll want to bask in His presence. You’ll want to lay on your back and feel His caress. You’ll feel His touch upon your face. You’ll be a winner, but only after you lose yourself in Him. You’ll feel yourself spinning in circles. God’s always there; always here like a cameraman admiring you from every angle. He can’t get enough of you! Go ahead, laugh, scream with joy and excitement because He loves you! The One whose treasures include snow and hail, has you at the top of His list! He also has treasures of blessings in disguise for you. Let Him snow upon you! Throw the ball, take a shot. He’s making a pass, go deep. Catch it!
Now go home and warm up. Get ready for tomorrow; more snow is on the way.
God bless!
Sam