Celebrate, But Also Remember
I wasn’t going to write a post about love, but then something hit me. This Hallmark holiday has so many meanings behind it, for so many people.
I am beyond thankful for my best friend, whom I call my husband. And words cannot express the love and thankfulness I have for our daughter, Mazy Grace. I sometimes think that I could not love any deeper. But when I sit here and think about Valentine’s Day, it makes me think about the love that I not only have for my husband and daughter, but my heart longs to see our two in Heaven.
What do they look like? Who do they look like? What is their most favorite thing to do in Heaven? Who do they hang out with? What do they constantly ask God on a daily basis? Do they have blonde hair or brown, like their daddy? Whose hand do they hold onto each day?
I have a love for two little babies, whom I never officially met, but an unexplained love that words cannot express. Though my heart is content and God has also given me unexplained peace about us being separated from them, this side of Heaven.
But I know that Valentine’s Day, the day when love is celebrated, means so many different things, for so many people. For some, it truly is a celebration, but for others, it’s a day that brings deep hurt and painful reminders of what could have been, what was, and what isn’t.
Our family is incomplete in the sense that we are missing two, but I have never been more certain that this is how our life is supposed to be and that through their death, God’s glory, I pray, was proclaimed all the more. And I truly believe that if God did not call them home, we would not have Mazy Grace.
Having experienced just a taste of loss, that is why on this day, I think about those who have had to say goodbye, all too soon. Those whose hearts are missing a piece, as that piece resides in Heaven. Whether it be the loss of a child, the loss of a husband, a friend, or even a broken relationship. Christ came to restore that relationship with us, through His death, so that we may one day spend eternity with Him. Though this side of Heaven, there is still brokenness, pain, and a longing for things to be restored and made right.
But it is the unconditional love of Christ, that God has chosen to give to us on a daily a basis. A gift that we have the privilege of unwrapping Every. Single. Day. Even on those days when our hearts long to see our loved ones, it’s Christ love and death, that reminds us that there is hope – the hope of eternity.
So on this Valentine’s Day, celebrate LOVE! I mean REALLY celebrate it! Life is too precious not to. Like I said, my heart is at peace, knowing our two babies could not be more secure and more loved right at this moment. But on this day, remember those who are hurting. Those who have had to say goodbye to a loved one, whether that person lived a long life or was just a few weeks old in the womb. Think about those who grieve what they cannot have, like a baby – the love they so deeply want to give. I’ve been there and it hurts. Deeply. Hold them close in prayer and in love.
Celebrate, but also remember.
