The Problem With Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day is always hard on us guys because we never have figured out what to do. Every so often we do the right thing and all is well, but then expectations are elevated and the next Valentine’s we do something dumb, and prove our ineptitude.

I remember back in third grade when we gave cheap little cards to all the girls? I went into the day with dread - knowing the wrong girl would get the wrong idea and I would be in a fix. All through elementary school I never knew what to do with the day, so I always bought my best girl, my mom, a box of candy. (with dad’s money or course)

When I got into high school I figured out that Valentine’s was a day of opportunity. If you liked a girl, you could send her a card and see what happened - in my case it was always nothing.

It wasn’t until I went to college that I met my ultimate valentine, a Freshman beauty from the hill of eastern Oklahoma. Lana has been my sweetheart from the first time I saw her. Even though on that first date she was with another guy, and I was with another girl, I still fell in love with her and nothing has been the same since.

But the problem still exists with this special day on February 14 - I still don’t know what to do. How do I properly express my love for the sweetest wife in the world. There are no flowers gorgeous enough to compare to her beauty. There isn’t a card that has ever been written that can describe my profound love for her. There has never been a box of candy that can measure up to her sweetness. There isn’t a diamond that is rare enough to match her extraordinary personality.

I will do my best on Valentine’s Day to tell Lana how much I love her. I will give her a simple gift that expresses my esteem. But no gift can ever express the overwhelming love I have for my sweetheart. Happy Valentine’s Day Lana, I love you.

The Antique Desk

People use our church parlor on a regular basis and never notice a beautiful antique desk which sits right next to the door. The table is used while Sunday School records are completed and occasionally used by the deacon secretary when the deacons are moved upstairs for their meetings. Otherwise, no one pays much attention to the small desk piled high with record books, paper, pencils and all the other church stuff found in our classrooms.

I had occasion to sit at the desk for a week while doing my private study time. Since I use various classrooms around the church to read and pray in the mornings I get a chance to see the classrooms where people meet. I also get to pray for the members of that class. Thus, I used the Adult 1 men’s classroom and their small records desk.

A survey of any church will find an inventory of hand-me-down furniture which has been donated by families over the years. Sometimes the items are extremely valuable and useful, while other items never find a home or use. This parlor desk is quite a find! It is small, well made and very useful for the space where it resides.

Church members seem to fit in the same categories as furniture. Some individuals are extremely useful from the moment they arrive, while others never seem to find their place. There are some who never even want to be noticed. But, God has a plan for every church member. He knows everyone’s personality, giftedness and purpose. We all have a place in the work of the church.

You may never fill a noticeable or public position in the operation of the church. But you may be like the small antique desk that was made for the spot where it resides. Everyone has a place - and must strive to find that place in their service to the Kingdom.