I’ll admit it—I’m a real sap when it comes to love stories. If a story or movie doesn’t move me to at least a few tears, then…well, it’s just so-so for me. There are a few love stories that are very dear to my heart because they are true stories and involve people that I know very well. So, get your tissues, and sit back while I share some of my favorite love stories with you. The first one is particularly special to me, and you will soon see why! 
      Our son Philip was a mischievous, young 16 year old. Once while he was hanging out at this friend’s house, Philip was checking out the family photos on the refrigerator. One picture in particular caught his eye. It was a beautiful young girl with long blonde hair. Philip asked his friend John who the girl was, and John told him that she was just a family friend. Not wanting to forget the beautiful, unnamed girl, Philip secretly took the picture off the refrigerator and put it in his wallet. There it remained for several years. I remember seeing the picture when he took money out of his wallet (a rare occasion!); however, I did not give it much thought. She was just one of several pictures of high school friends, some I knew, and some I did not. 
      Girlfriends came and girlfriends went over the years, but the beautiful nameless girl’s picture remained in his wallet. 
      After awhile, Philip began dating a new girl. One afternoon, Philip came over to our house, plopped himself on the kitchen counter which was his usual practice when we were about to have a serious mother-son conversation. He wanted to tell me about his new girlfriend. As he began to talk about her, it became clear that this was much more than just a casual girlfriend. I remember saying, “Philip, this girl seems very special. Maybe this was meant to be.” And he replied, “Mom, it really was meant to be.” 
      He proceeded to tell me that he had just recently gone to meet his new girlfriend’s parents for the first time. He told me how he nervously walked up the sidewalk with her to her parents’ front door. She opened the door and they walked inside. A picture setting on a table near the door quickly caught Philip’s attention. It was of a beautiful young girl with long blonde hair. Immediately his mind went to his wallet and the picture he had been carrying there for all those years. Yes, it was the same girl. He had been carrying her picture for years, had unknowingly fallen in love with her, and now he was about to meet her parents. 
      At Philip and Cindy’s wedding rehearsal, Philip’s friend John’s mother asked if she could have her picture back now. 
      Then there is another sweet story that is special to me… 
      Lisa was a single mom trying to raise her little boy alone. She had been dating a young man named Ron for a couple of years, and they had pledged their love to one another. However, that is as far as it had gone. Is he going to ask me to marry him, she wondered? Is this relationship going anywhere? She felt they had reached a critical point in their relationship—either they were going to take the next step and be married or she was prepared to end the relationship. 
      On Sunday afternoons, Lisa and Ron enjoyed driving around looking at some of the old historical homes in their town. Many of these homes were pre-Civil war and very beautiful. On one particular Sunday afternoon, they had walked all around the grounds of one home that was for sale. After awhile, Ron said, “Let’s see if we can get inside.” Lisa objected, “The doors are locked. We could get arrested if someone sees us.” Ron insisted, and even went so far as to try to open the front door. Sure enough, the door was open. They quickly closed the door behind themselves, and quietly began exploring the inside of the beautiful old mansion. Finally it was time to leave. As they walked through what would have been a formal living room, Lisa noticed that there was an envelope sitting upright on the mantel over the huge fireplace. There was something written on the envelope. When she looked closely, she saw that her name was on the envelope—LISA. She slowly opened the envelope and took out the note written on yellow legal paper. It said: Lisa, will you marry me? Signed Ron. 
      There’s more…you see, Ron had not just brought Lisa to this vacant old house to propose to her. He had actually purchased the house already. For the last few hours, they had been exploring their future home that he had just purchased a few weeks earlier. They still live in that beautiful old home, and over the mantel there is a small framed note that says, “Lisa, will you marry me?” 
      Still have those tissues ready? Just one more story… 
      A few years ago, I was visiting an elderly lady that I had recently met. Connie had been a widow for a number of years. I commented about her lovely home and asked if she had any children living in the area. She told me that she and her husband were not able to have children. Because of that, they had devoted themselves to each other and their church. She commented that she still felt so lost without him, even though it had been several years since he died. She then told me this story. 
      Several months after his death, Connie said that she was having a particularly lonely time. She missed her beloved so much. In her morning prayer time, she poured her heart out to God telling him about her hurt and her loneliness. She asked God for some sign today that He was aware of her and her sadness. Connie said that the morning progressed, and she was in her husband’s office doing some dusting. She opened up a file cabinet thinking she would begin the process of getting rid of some papers that she had delayed going through. Slowly, she pulled out a file and began leafing through the papers. There in front of her was an unopened letter that immediately caught her attention. She quickly noticed that it was in her husband’s handwriting, and it was addressed to her. 
      A few years earlier, Connie had gone on a mission trip to the Philippines. Her thoughts went back to that trip, and gradually she began to understand how this letter came to be. This was obviously a letter that her husband had mailed to her while she was away. It had arrived in the Philippines after she had left to come home, so the letter had been returned to him in Virginia. When the letter was returned, her dear husband had just stuck it in the file she was holding in her hand. 
      So what was in the letter? Slowly, she opened the envelope addressed to her from her husband. In it he began by telling her how much he missed her. He could hardly wait to see her again. Knowing how allergic she was to paint fumes, he had painted the entire house while she was gone. He wanted the house to look perfect when she got there. Her precious husband had ended the letter telling her to hurry home…that he was waiting for her. 
      Connie closed the file cabinet and went to her husband’s favorite chair and as she slowly sank into it, she bowed her head to thank God for the wonderful gift from her husband that He had given to her on that day. 
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      Those stories are so precious to me. They warm my heart every time I tell them to someone. Sometimes it is very hard for me to tell these stories because my tears get in the way of the telling! 
      There is another love story that you and I have the opportunity to tell all year long, not just at Valentine’s Day. It is sometimes called the greatest love story ever told, and it too can be very hard for us to tell. It’s the story of God’s great love for us—a love that was so great that He sent His son to earth to die for us. We’ve heard that story so many times, and yet it is really hard for some of us to put into words. 
      Have you ever asked yourself, “Why is it so hard to tell someone about Jesus?” Often times it’s easier to tell someone about a favorite restaurant that you want them to try than to get into a religious conversation. We can talk about almost anything else. And yet….as Christians we have the answer to life’s most perplexing problems and situations. So why is it so hard to talk about?
      Perhaps one reason is that most of the time we are talking to people who are already Christians. We have a tendency to associate or isolate ourselves among our Christian friends, and we don’t have many relationships with those who are nonchristians. Jesus gives us quite the opposite example. Remember that He left the comforts of home—heaven—to come to earth. He was criticized for meeting and talking to sinners, and yet that did not stop Him. If we are going to tell His Love Story, we have to move beyond our circle of Christians friends and acquaintances to those who really need to hear His story. 
      Another reason we sometimes fail in sharing the greatest love story is that we feel very inadequate. We are afraid that we will fail or not be understood. However, God is not asking us to tell what we don’t know, but He is asking us to tell what we DO know. What is that? Well, it’s our own story of how we came to know God, and how God has changed our lives. People are more easily persuaded by real life examples of God’s love. A simple, “Let me tell you what God did for me,” may be enough to get the conversation started. 
      Our own materialism can also distract us from telling others about Jesus. After all, let’s face it, we have so much that sometimes it’s hard for us to long for heaven. Materialism can rob us of the spiritual awareness that we had when we first came to Christ. Remember the thrill of accepting God’s forgiveness and realizing that our sins are forgiven? Take some time to remember what you were like BEFORE you came to Christ, and then think of what it was like AFTER you came to Him. Joy is replaced by gloom. Peace replaces fear. Gratitude replaces discontent. 
      Most of us have become very good at Christian charades! We hope that those around us will guess by our actions that we know God. Don’t get me wrong. Lifestyle evangelism is important, but it may not be enough. In Ephesians 6:19-20, Paul says, “Pray also for me that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.” Did you get that? It’s a mystery until we tell them! 
      Yes, it is an incredible LOVE STORY that we have to tell. It’s the story of God who loved us so much that He would not let go. Even though we tried to hijack our lives—we wanted to run them our own way, apart from him, but He would not let go. Our sin separated us from Him. But still, He would not let go. He couldn’t overlook that sin, so He found a substitute for us—Someone who could take our punishment. It was His Son Jesus. Through inviting God into our lives, we enter into a forever relationship with Him.
      In Colossians 4:3-4 Paul asks for prayer, that “God will open a door for us.” I’m praying that God will open a door—a natural opportunity for sharing His love story with someone in your world today. Will you courageously share the love story that you know with someone else? 
      Happy Valentine’s Day! Share His love!