~My Special Valentine For All Time~
"Oh, if it be to choose and call thee mine, love, thou art every day my Valentine!" Thomas Hood
Many, many years ago now; back when I was a newly divorced single mother; the church that I was attending at the time had a Valentine's Day social for the adults. For the event each person (rather married or single) was required to bring a "date" with them to the party. I very much wanted to attend but was not currently dating anyone.
I am not sure exactly when the idea came to me as to whom I would take to the Valentine's Day event but once I had made up my mind then I began to make preparations with a zest in my spirit that I had not felt in a very long time.
I suppose that I spent most all of one week and part of another getting ready for the Big event. I went to a "formals" boutique in our community and bought a red gown with matching shoes and a red beaded handbag. I went to the hair dressers and had my hair cut, colored and curled and then I went to the nail salon and had a manicure and a pedicure. The last place that I went to was a costume shop and there I purchased a faux red velvet crown (in just a moment you will see why)
The day of the Big event I gave myself a facial to beat all facials, soaked in the tub in sweet oils until my skin was soft and silky smooth, ate a very light lunch because my nerves probably would have had me to throw up anything heavier and drank a few glasses of wine while I went through my beauty regime. Then it was time to get dressed and go.
I walked out of the house feeling like a million zillion bucks! I looked good, I felt good, I smelled good and most importantly I carried the faux velvet crown in my hand which gave me all of the confidence in the world!
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The church was just across the street from where I lived so I didn't have very far to walk. I went in and made general chitchat with everyone there and more than a few people (impolitely I thought) ask me where my date was for the festivities to which I replied "Ohh, well you know, He'll be along in a minute".
So; then it came time to go into the banquet hall for our Valentine's meal. I walked over to the head of the table and picked up the napkin and crumpled it up a little bit and set it along side of the plate. According to Middle Eastern tradition (both in the past and the present) a crumpled napkin is the symbol for "I am coming back". Meaning don't remove my plate because I am not finished yet. Then I sat my red velvet crown down on top of the empty plate.
My pastor saw what I had done and he came over and in a low kind of whisper voice said something to the effect of it not being necessary (he thought the crown was for him!) but I was just as quick to assure him that it was not his crown- the crown belonged to my "date".
He reminded me- still in his lowered "I am not going to make a scene" voice that he generally sat at the head of the table for most all church social events. Being the pastor I am sure that he did and had every right to. But still I told him "Not tonight. Tonight you will not be sitting at the head of the table. Tonight my date sits here." (giving the arm of the chair a light pat) Then I went and took the place setting that had been designated for me at the table.
Well; the pastor not wanting to cause a scene in front of his congregation by insisting on sitting at what he thought was his place setting - sat down in the first chair on the right. Which caused everyone else to have to shift down one chair. For a moment it caused a little bit of a shuffle as everyone realigned their seating.
So; as it were, before the meal began the women were ask to stand up one at a time and introduce their "date" and then to tell what it was that each adored the most about their person.
Round and round it went until it became my turn to speak. The pastor (bless his heart) thought I had been stood up by my date and trying to save me from embarrassment was going to simply pass me over and called on the next woman at the table. But I held her arm to keep her from standing and when she got what I was doing I then stood up and said:
"I would like to present my date for this evening- actually He is my date for every evening, every night and every day. He is my love for all time and all times. Tonight on this very special Valentine's Day I finally have the opportunity to dress up for Him the way I have always wanted to and to go out as a couple. And I so appreciate each of you making this night possible for me. I don't have to tell any of you why I Love Him like I do because you already know Him and you already love Him ... just as I do.
Then I walked to the front of the table and stood behind the chair and said (by then I could hardly speak past the lump in my throat- as I am right now as I type this up)
"This is Jesus Christ and He is my date".
"I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach." Elizabeth Barrett Browning
From that Valentine's Day forward rather I host a Valentine's party or attend a Valentine's party, or just simply spend the day/evening at home on Valentine's day - Jesus Christ has always been my date for the event. He is my Valentine for All Time and I Love Him. Just as I know you do too.
I think sometimes we forget to what extent that Jesus was willing to go to just to prove His love for us. We forget how diligently He wooed us and courted us; always with the utmost gentleness and patience, until He finally captured our hearts.
Like an old married couple that has been in love for decades we settle down into a depth of warmth for our Beloved that may not be the all consuming desire that we had in the beginning of our courtship but so much more comforting and comfortable.
Through the years as we have grown together and learned about one another we have built a relationship that is binding and constant. It doesn't wax and wane in relation to our current circumstances but stays true and holds the course through fair weather and foul. Very much just like in the natural; we look forward to spending our twilight years together rocking on the porch, holding hands and pondering aloud what the future might hold for us.
We have found our one true love; our love of a lifetime, our Valentine for all time and it is good. We need nothing else but our Beloved. No need to look further. He is as perfect a love as it ever was or ever will be. How fortunate are we that He fell in love with us. Fortunate indeed!
"Love is the emblem of eternity: it confounds all notion of time: effaces all memory of a beginning, all fear of an end."
Germaine De Stael
O, my luve's like a red red rose
That's newly sprung in June
O my luve's like a melodie
That's sweetly played in tune
I love thee, I love thee,
'Tis all that I can say;
It is my vision in the night,
My dreaming in the day.
Through all eternity to thee
A joyful song I'll raise,
For oh! Eternity is too short
To utter all thy praise.