Are You Puzzeled by what True Love REALLY Is?
The first thing
we MUST KNOW
is that True Love is
NOT first of all
a nice warm FEELING deep inside our being.
Nor is True Love necessarily a deep attraction to another person.
Instead, True Love is judged by how we ACT TOWARD our loved one;
and how they act toward us.
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So, the conversation during the lunch break went something like this: I was SisterB - the Almost Silent Observer - in that conversation and I had no idea why the talk about flowers came up. How would that husband feel?
For the joy set before Him, that of having His Bride, our Lord Jesus Christ endured the cross and despised its shame (Hebrews 12:2).
Almost Silent Observer
SisterA : Hey Guy, imagine a rose is $50 and $600 for a dozen.
Guy: Where?!
SisterA : The flower shop at the Mall.
Guy: Hmm...$50. How long do they last?
SisterA : About a week, I guess.
Guy: Well, you know, a spanner is $25 and it lasts a whole lifetime! And it doesn't even have to be red. But why do roses have to be so expensive?
SisterA : Maybe because roses can be delivered. But then again, you can buy spanners on the internet and have them delivered too. Even a power washer which is about $600, and a battery operated drill!
Guy: Yes, cordless! Look, People just try to find ways to capitalize on occasions, to find ways of getting other people's money... So do you like to receive flowers?
SisterA : Of course!
SisterB: Oh, you were asking me too? Yes I do, depending on who they're from.
SisterA : But I sent you flowers for your birthday!
SisterB: Yes you did and I felt appreciated. It was nice to get them at work too. As I said, it depends on who they're from. You're my sister, so it's OK. I really liked them.
SisterA : Got to get back to work - see you!
I'd totally forgotten about Valentine's Day. Thank goodness I caught on before the conversation ended!
My sister was actually reminding Guy that he should get roses for his wife for Valentine's Day.
But I wondered... what is it about flowers, about roses? Is it just worldly sensationalism or could there be more to it? Is it in the art of giving or in the particular gift?
Well, I thought, flowers... roses... are soft but strong - holding their shape. They are beautiful, delicate in touch and fragrance and need much care to continue to exist in that unblemished state of beauty, strength and tenderness. Neglect them and they wilt and fade.
So in giving these to his wife, a husband indicates his appreciation of these qualities/aspects about her because she is such to him. He shows his commitment to being a source of strength, protection and nurture of spirit to and for her.
If this is true, then in that one simple act of giving roses, a husband can convey much, not just to his wife, but to all those around her!
And if for a husband and wife there can be so much in a simple rose, just imagine how much there is in a rose for our Heavenly Father, the One Who created us in His image and likeness.
He didn't find us as a man finds a wife. He crafted each of us individually, personally, with His Own special care, to suit His Own Divine purpose.
Imagine this response from the wife to a gift of roses from her husband:
Oh! You didn't have to do that! They cost so much! Why did you waste your money? They'll only last a week and I don't even have time to look after them.
Thanks anyway though. It was nice of you. Put them in a vase for me, will you?
Do you know that God has given us a rose? It is a special Rose, a deep red Rose; not in any way a symbol but in every way a reality. That Rose does not represent. It IS.
It is the shed Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is the Lord Himself. And this Rose not only IS but it GIVES. It GIVES a priceless gift that would never wilt nor fade - that of eternal life with HIM.
Do you also know that other roses come our way that are not sent by our Heavenly Father? These are so beautiful. They catch our eyes as they sparkle and glitter. They are so enthralling that they pull us until we are caught up in the glamour, prestige and honour that is offered to us.
Before we know it, we are caught by the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. Then the fragrance fades... the roses wilt. The thorns of the stem cut through our hearts ... and hopelessness sets in.
And what is our response to the Rose that God sent to us? Is it like the one above? - Oh, thanks, but you really shouldn't have.
And what about the other roses? The beautiful, sparkling ones? The dazzling, captivating ones which draw attention to self? No Blood. No thorns upon HIS head (John 19:2). No visage marred more than any man (Is 52:14). No everlasting fragrance of eternal life.
God's Rose reminds me of the last verse from the hymn by George Matheson:
O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from Thee;
I lay in dust life's glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.
In spite of all that it would cost HIM, our Heavenly Father sent us THIS Rose, HIS Rose. The thorns on HIS head were for our hearts. The wounds on HIS back were for our healing. The Blood that HE shed was for our eternal peace.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotton Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
Dare I ask to fly from Him?
Dare I refuse His Rose?
My response: I dare not. I cannot.
...And yours?