Queen for the Day
by Krishana Kraft
February 15, 2002

 
I can proudly say that in the fourth grade I was the Valentine's Day queen. My teacher had a knack for making every holiday memorable and this was just a part of our Valentine's fun. I was selected along with my classmate Ryan (the king) to reign over the "day of love."

This position even came with perks, like getting our picture in the local newspaper and the opportunity to wear a crown—even to lunch. Although these perks come to mind, I couldn't begin to tell you how I was selected, whether it was by popular vote or by the teacher. But I do know that I wasn't a "love expert," because at that time the way to a boy's heart was chasing him on the playground. And it couldn't have been my loving nature that qualified me, because I was usually pretty "bossy". But somehow I ended up queen for the day.

Valentine's Day does come with a lot of perks, like getting flowers, cards, or eating those Conversation Hearts. But do these things really express true love?

In the Bible, John talks a lot about love. Not the warm and fuzzy feeling you get when you receive a special gift or card, but true love:

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers" (1 John 3:1,16).
We are called children of God, or in other words, children of the King. Have you ever thought of yourself as royalty?

It's only natural to wonder how we managed to acquire this position. It's not because of our loving nature, because the truth is that our flesh is pretty unloving. Nor is it because we chased after God and finally caught him, because really he found us first. But it is because of his amazing love for us. That love goes beyond flowers, candy and cards. He allowed his one and only Son to die on the cross to save us from eternal death. And that's how we know what love is all about—sacrifice.

Just like I didn't qualify to be the queen of Valentine's Day, we don't qualify to be children of God. It's because of God's grace that he takes us as we are and gives us royal status—not just for one day, but for eternity.

Seize each day in his presence!
Krishana

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February 15, 2002