Happy Valentine’s Day!

I remember walking along Hastings sea-front in 1987 singing and a dolphin thought it was a mating call. She ended up beached near the Penny Arcades. It didn’t end well…

Romance can be a messy affair can’t it? It doesn’t always turn out how we’d hoped…

I, as you will all understand, am inundated with cards on Valentine’s Day. Jo and I don’t celebrate the day (it’s not really a day for lovers; it’s more for Hallmarks benefit). However, my favourite Valentine’s Day was a few years back. You will notice my beard and that it finishes on one of my chins in a stylish point. I decided to grow it a little longer. Some folk at Bessels began to comment on it, in an unsupportive manner, and a few older ladies dared to touch it! This happened a few weeks on the trot so I announced to my family one Sunday, whilst tucking into roast dolphin, that for every Sunday someone at church commented on or touched my beard the pointed part would remain uncut.

Six months later… It was quite long. My oldest daughter was able to plat it.

Jo found it repulsive…

Enter Valentine’s Day stage left! This is kind of how the conversation went, starting with me:

“What d’you wanna to do tonight?”

“Do you know what I’d really like to do?”

“What?”

“I’d like you to trim your beard.”

A pause as I think…

“Ok, I’ll trim my beard if you let me watch Jaws.”

A pause as Jo thinks…

“Ok, I’m going to bed to read then.”

“Deal.”

It was a magical evening… The shark got blown up by the way.

I like the romantic ballad “All of me” by John Legend in which the chorus has these magical lines:
‘Cause all of me
Loves all of you,
Love your curves and all your edges
All your perfect imperfections.
Give your all to me
I’ll give my all to you.
You’re my end and my beginning,
Even when I lose I’m winning.
Cause I give you all of me
And you give me all of you.

Please put the romance to one side and don’t we have a picture of God and humanity? That God longs for us to come to him as we are and when we do we hopefully realise that God is our end and our beginning and that even in the tough times (when we’re losing) God is with us (we’re winning).

Here’s a question for you? Do you know in your mind and heart that God loves you for being you?

The theologian Paul Tillich once said: “We need to accept our acceptance.”

God has accepted you and I because God loves us.

Yours because of Jesus – Neil.

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