Yesterday with the help of some amazing people, who donated to my team and I, we were able to hand out hundreds of flowers to the people of Cambodia on Valentines Day. We got tell them about the never ending love of there Father on this love day. Each person’s face lit up bright with a huge smile.
Something I noticed yesterday, when we were handing out the flowers, it didn’t matter if they were rich or poor they still loved it. They still said thank you a thousand times and wanted to take pictures or tell their friends or just smell the flower. When my team and I woke up on Valentines Day, we got ready and walked down stairs. Before we ever handed out flowers to anyone, we received flowers from the guys on our team who are away doing manistry this month (Yeah, like I said on my last blog they are the best.) Our faces lit up too. We took pictures and smiled really big! We are beyond blessed.
Yesterday was the best Valentines Day I’ve ever had. Holidays are just better when they’re not about me. Seeing other people’s faces light up has become my favorite thing in the world, literally. The people of Cambodia have such sweet spirits and bright smiles.
The other day, Annie and I were watching the movie, “Perks of Being a Wildflower” and in the movie they kept saying, “You accept the love you think you deserve.” I’ve said that to a couple people in my life but now I’m realizing that it applies to our relationship with God too. Sometimes, we accept the love we think we deserve, even from God. God’s not going to force His love on us. I don’t know if anyone has ever told you this, but God is a gentlemen and He gives you a choice. So we start missing out on all that He has to give us because we feel good or comfortable right where we are, so we end up staying. Some people are afraid because they are listening to the lies of the enemy or looking at there sin and thinking I don’t deserve that love. When all your Father wants to do is lavish His never ending love all over you. While other people, much like the people of Cambodia, are out looking for love in all these other places because no one has ever told them how amazing the Fathers love is.
So on this day of love, I want to tell you about this loving, powerful, forgiving God who sent His only perfect Son to earth 2,000 years ago to die a horrible death on a cross for you AND me. But three days later He arose and now He wants to have a relationship with you! He wants to lavish you in the best love you could ever receive. A never ending love, a love without compromise or strings attached. This kind of love changes you and sets you free. This love makes you want to love other people, even the people who don’t love you and maybe even hate you. There doesn’t need to be a holiday for Him to love you either, it’s daily.
“But you, O God, are both tender and kind, not easily angered, immense in love, and you never, never quit. You look me in the eye and show kindness, give your servant the strength to go on, save your dear, dear child. Make a show of how much you love me so the bullies who hate me will stand there slack-jawed, as you, God, gently and powerfully put me back on my feet.” (Psalms 86:15-17) He loves you so much! He’s right there wait patently on your response to all His grand gestures.
Happy Valentines day! Thank you again to everyone who donated to make this happen! I pray you feel super loved by the Father today! Much love from Cambodia!
