Hey guys!! I hope you enjoyed yesterdays post reviewing Stephan Labosseries book “The Man God has for You”. I love the book and think any woman would benefit from reading it. But for todays post I want write a post about love and not just your typical man and woman fall in love but instead a reckless love. Now before you get your panties in a wad and decide this isn’t how you want to look at love and what is she possibly talking about, just have an open mind with what I am going to try to tell you.

My goal today is to explain to you why, for this Valentines Day, Ive chosen a “Reckless Valentine”. And I know this isn’t a typical word that is associated with happy and positive feelings but I want to open your mind to the idea of it being a good thing.

Reckless is defined as  “without thinking or caring about the consequences of an action”. Now nothing that I read in that is negative but instead we as a society have persuaded peoples view points on the word because we are using it only in negative situations. Today I am going to show you how in one way and maybe only one way possible it is a good thing but it all starts with an experience I had last Sunday.  

This past Sunday I was attending my church, Church of the City in Franklin Tennessee, and we typically sing a handful of songs each service. One song in particular that I recognized was “Reckless Love” by Cory Asbury. We had sang this song a few Sundays before but for some reason on this Sunday when we were singing I had this thought and this idea of God being my “Reckless Valentine”. Now it may sound crazy and I might not even be able to put into words what I mean by that but I hope God will allow me to because the feeling of peace I got when this came into my heart was so calming and reassuring.

I think Ive only had a valentine maybe a handful of times in my life. I can think of, in my adult life, maybe two. Ive always hated valentines day and thought it was another ploy by the government to sell us unhealthy candy and rot our minds with the thought that we needed someone to fulfill our hearts on this day. A load of you know what if you ask me.

When you are single on valentines day its easy to get bitter because all you see all day long is couples posting pictures of flowers and candy and for whatever reason on this day only expressing their love for their significant other. I always think why in the world if you “loved” someone wouldn’t everyday be valentines day? Why on this day is your man supposed to buy you two dozen roses (at four times the price) and candy that is going to make you throw away all that hard work you had done to lose weight?

So this year instead of being bitter I made a choice to choose my valentine. I chose Him and I am so happy that I made the choice I did. When you are single, Valentines Day can be hard and make you feel bad about yourself and make you focus on what you dont have. Just because  you dont have a “man” doesnt mean you can’t be fulfilled by someones love on this holiday and every other day.

Let me introduce to you my “Reckless Valentine”. He is smart, protecting, and loves me more than any man ever could. His name is God. He is my “Reckless Valentine”. And before you try to tell me God isn’t reckless you have to listen to the song I mentioned before and then try and tell me He isn’t.

The chorus says, ” O, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God O, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine,I couldn’t earn it, and I don’t deserve it, still, You give Yourself away, O, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God, yeah”. Gods love is never ending.

Isaiah 54:10 says, “For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you”. His love shall not depart from us even when we do not have a significant other, He is still there loving us. Our worth does not come from a mans love. Our fulfillment in life doesnt come from a mans love. Yes it is wonderful when it is given to us by God and He provides us with a partner but I am here to tell you that you are still worthy and loved by someone who would move mountains for you, even if you never have a significant other. 

We could never earn His love. We could never do enough good every day all the days of our lives to deserve His love. He gives it to us so freely and thats proof that He is reckless!! How many of you reading this would give your love to someone every day of their life even when they did bad against you, everyday? You would be fed up!! You would tell them to get lost. But Gods grace and mercy renews everyday. His love is never ending. Lamentations 3:22-23 says,”The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness”. 

In a video I saw on the story of Cory and this song he said, “ Hes unconcerned with the consequence of his actions comfort and well being, it isnt selfish or self serving, he puts himself out there. It isnt cautious. He gives Himself away again and again. Make no mistake our sins pain His heart but He lets us back in every single time”. This describes Gods reckless love. Its not cautious and freely gives it to us even after we break his heart. 

The only way I can try to explain it is if you have children maybe you can understand it this way, when youre children disobey you every single day you wouldn’t turn your back on them. You wake up each morning and you love them just the same if not more. Thats how God loves us but even more than that. Hes climbing every mountain and chasing us down recklessly  until He finds the way into our hearts. If we choose to accept it is all on us.

Thats the kind of love that gets you through life. Thats the kind of love I want on Valentines Day and everyday. So I will choose Him, today and everyday, holiday or not because He loves me more than any man ever could. He fulfills my heart in ways my future husband will be jealous of. So Ill spend this Valentines Day praising Him for loving a sinner like me and for His new grace and mercy every day. I will be fully content, single and all, with the love of the Lord.

I want to share a few of my favorite scriptures on love with you. Hopefully this post encourages you if you are single, or have found yourself in a loveless relationship. Maybe this post is telling you that you are looking for love in all the wrong places like I was for 28 years. No matter how many years you’ve spent away from Him and disobeying Him, today is a new day. Today you can choose God as your “Reckless Valentine“. xoxo -A

SCRIPTURES ON LOVE

• 1 Corinthians 13:4-5,”Love is patient, love is kind. Love does not envy, is not boastful, is not arrogant, is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not irritable, and does not keep a record of wrongs. Love finds no joy in unrighteousness but rejoices in the truth.  It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
• Exodus 34:6,” The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.”
• John 15:9-17,” As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.”