Do you remember the bumper stickers— “I _____”?

I love my dog, cat, horse, car, child, ____________________.

February is month. How nice to have a month to remember what and who we love. Yes, I know the Bible has several words for love, with nuanced meanings, and agape/love is more than feelings. But what a difference it would make if we took time each day and said out loud to someone else, “I love ________.” It could be “I love you” or it could be “I love sunsets, music, cats on my lap, autumn leaves, the sound of the ocean, walking on the beach, good food, a fire in the fireplace, the smell of my child’s hair. . .” The possibilities are endless and all around us.

Too often we rush through life forgetting to pay attention to love.

Someone recently told a group of clergy, “speed does violence”—to our relationships, to our souls, to our peace of mind, to our lives. February is a good month to take time to love—slow down and notice what and who we love and appreciate all the experiences of life that connect us with the God of love.

Here are some suggestions to help you enjoy the love that is all around us:

Write a note or send a card to someone you love.

Around the dinner table, take turns saying “I love _______” and marvel at the closeness we feel when love is expressed.

Tell someone how much they mean to you.

Take time to sit quietly in God’s presence and give thanks for the love in your life.

When you feel sad because of lost love, let God love you with a steadfast and everlasting love, and give thanks by faith for the love that surrounds you, even when you can’t feel it.

And to my dear sisters and brothers at Central,

“I you very much.”

In Christ,

 

Pastor Stephanie