I can think of no better subject on this day dedicated to love than my wife, Stephanie.
The day I chose to give my heart to Jesus was the greatest of my life. Second-best was meeting Stephanie on June 13, 2002. Our marriage led to five more days tied for third – the birth-days of our children Payton, Ben, Eli, Eden, and Titus.
Without saying a word, Stephanie challenges me every day to be a better person.
She exemplifies the selfless love a good marriage requires, the daily choice to die to your own wants and put your mate first. It is the key to what even the Bible calls a “mystery,” “when the two shall become one flesh,” (Ephesians 5:31-32)
My siblings and I remain blessed by that example in our mom and dad, who will celebrate their 60th anniversary this year. They demonstrated the kind of relationship God had in his heart from the very beginning with Adam and Eve, and it has helped us in our own marriages. It’s sad so many don’t have that kind of example, and the last few decades have shown us that society declines in direct proportion to a decline in love at home.
Now that I work in the law-making arm of society – government – I especially appreciate the wisdom of nine things no law can be formed against: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. These Fruits of the Spirit, described in Galatians 5:22-23, are all things that help us live in harmony and supersede any manmade thing, including government.
Love in all circumstances makes all circumstances better. Jesus said the two greatest commandments, in Matthew 22:37-39, begin with it: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
On this Valentine’s Day, let’s commit to the expression of selfless love in all circumstances.
