2/14/16: Happy Valentine’s Day

It’s Valentine’s Day. Many couples are enjoying the special day of exchanging expressions of love through boxes of chocolates, gifts of jewelry, fancy meals at nice restaurants, expressive cards, and beautiful bouquets of flowers. My preferred flowers are roses—any color, but I have to admit that the American Beauty red rose is my all-time favorite.

To be sure I have roses all the time, my husband planted some for me in our front yard. I took over pruning them and harvesting them, bringing them in, and placing them in vases throughout the house. My red, pink, and orange/yellow roses add a splash of color to our home, and where we live in Southern California, I get to enjoy them pretty much all year long.

When I look at my roses, other than being reminded of how much my husband loves me, I’ve learned other things from them. Once, after being out of town for a week, my roses grew without my attention. When my husband pulled into the driveway after picking me up from the airport, the first things I noticed were my rose bushes, all three in full bloom. I hadn’t gathered those blooms and although they were beautiful, they were dying. I would never enjoy their beauty or their fragrance inside the house. Some of the petals had even begun falling off of the flowers and were scattered hither and yon.

Those rose bushes exist for me to enjoy. If I don’t take advantage of them as they bloom, I’ll miss out on all the enjoyment they can bring me. Their fragrance and their beauty will go to waste. More will come along, but I will have missed out on those.

John 12:3 says, “Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.” (KJV) Mary poured out an ointment to bless her Savior, and the aroma of her praise filled the room. God blesses us daily and the aroma of that which He pours on us fills our world. Sometimes we can be so busy, we miss all that God has placed around us.

This Valentine’s Day, you may or may not have a special human Valentine, but you have a Loved One who is always giving you gifts. His name is Jesus Christ. He’s created a whole world full of vibrant colors and amazing fragrances. Note the blue of the sky, the green of the grass, the changing colors of the tree leaves, the vibrant hues of all types of vegetation, the glistening sheen bouncing off of icicles. Breathe in the scent of a freshly-mowed lawn, the aroma of coffee or orange juice, the pheromones of your loved ones, and of course, the fragrance of flowers, especially roses.

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©2016 Sharon Norris Elliott. Feel free to forward this devotion in its entirety, including this copyright line. Leave comments, ask questions, read past devotions, or subscribe to receive these devotions daily in your e-mail at www.sanewriter.wordpress.com. Also, periodically check in at www.LifeThatMatters.net to see what’s going on in the ministry.

Links you won’t want to miss: 

• Watch The Holy Spirit Broadcasting Network’s new internet TV show Life That Matters with Sharon Norris Elliott from any internet-connected device at HSBN.tv. (Stream current show or view past episodes anytime!)

• Pick up a copies of Sharon’s books for yourself and as gifts for your family members and friends!

• • Why I Get Into Trouble link to our eStore: https://www.createspace.com/5131814
  • Boomerangs to Arrows: A Godly Guide for Launching Young Adult Children available from Judson Press (http://www.judsonpress.com/product.cfm?product_id=17387),

Boomerangs Videolink: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2JH_gbinMk

• Power Suit: The Armor of God Fit for the Feminine Frame from New Hope Publishers (http://www.newhopedigital.com/2010/08/power-suit/)