Love Bites - Valentine's Day Devotion for Young Adults

This devotion is dedicated to my daughter and my adopted (by heart) teenage daughter who God placed in my life to prepare me for the teen years.  LORD help me...

The inspiration for this devotion came from a recent birthday gift.  My friends thought it would be fitting to give me a bracelet with a heart charm that says “Love Bites”.  Love it! Most of you know, I have a little crush on the literary character, Edward Cullen, from the Twilight books. With my favorite movie being released as my personal Valentine’s gift, I couldn't resist paying a little tribute. Usually, the expression “Love Bites” implies that love is bad, boring, common, and generally stinks. And since all of us have felt the mean bite of love, I am going to leave that depressing devotion to someone else. Because when I look at my charm, I don’t see a vampire’s bite. This heart reminds me of a young man who valued the life of the girl he loved more than his own selfish desires.

Those who have never read the Twilight books mistakenly assume their popularity is due to the vampire aspect. That is where many marketing executives have erred, putting their money in copycat versions that emphasis the supernatural instead of realizing the draw of this story is the very human emotion of love.  I never accept anything at face value, but question and investigate. So, when I found myself at age 40 enjoying this story and especially this character, I thought, "It can’t be just a mid-life crisis, can it?"  I forced myself to conduct a little research and found that girls from age 13 to 70 loved this character. His popularity has soared to the heights of the literary classics Darcy and Romeo.

The following is why I believe Edward Cullen is beloved among women of all ages.  He represents the lost art of courtship between a man and a women. His character was raised in the 1900's when men were taught to be chivalrous and respectful to women. Edward and Bella fall in love the old fashion way, by having meaningful face to face conversation. They have almost no physical contact in the entire book series until after they marry. Every emotion is conveyed through eye contact, verbal communication, and hand written notes. The most important theme running through these books is Edward’s desire to put Bella’s well-being and interests above his own. This is a foreign concept to women today. Women are drawn to this character not because he is a vampire, but because they fear the probability of finding a man who shares these qualities is as likely as finding a vampire in the woods.

I have a young friend who shared how this boy professes “she’s the one” via text, but never bothers to actually call her. When the texts stopped, he had to “Facebook” her to let her know he’d lost his phone instead of merely going to see her. He never bothers to pick her up at her home nor is he willing to meet her parents. He considers himself above these acts of common courtesy. I tell her, “You are far too worthy to waste your time on someone like this. You need to wait and pray for God’s best in your life, and daughter this is not God’s best!” Sadly, she is not alone. Women today feel overwhelmed by all the roles society insists upon: successful career woman, girlfriend, mom, wife, seductress; competing with magazine models who are airbrushed to look perfect. And please ladies, stop posting near naked pictures of yourself on Facebook. There is wisdom in the saying, “Leave some things to the imagination." Sadly, in a desperate need to gain attention and affection, some young women have lost their sense of respect and worth.

Well, there is good news!  Daughters, do you know you are worthy of a great love?  Did you know there is even one greater than Edward? Who is also immortal, unchanging, and He won’t just sparkle in the sunlight.  His brightness is so great it surpasses the sun. He loves you with an everlasting love and He is waiting for you. We were created with an emptiness inside that yearns to be filled. But you can’t fill it with cheap imitations. This emptiness can only be satisfied by perfect love. How do you find this perfect love? By following the road map, love B.I.T.E. S.

B stands for broken.  Did you know that God compares us to clay and that He is the master potter?
…we are the clay and You our potter….and we are the work of Your hand. Isaiah 64:8
You see, in order for clay to be used, the potter must first prepare it by wedging. During the wedging process, clay is pounded and kneaded on a hard surface to remove the hard spots and to force air bubbles out. If the air bubbles are not removed, they could expand during the heating process and explode in the kiln. When clay is properly “broken” it is pliable and ready for the Potter to create his masterpiece. You are God’s masterpiece.  He wants to use us to do great and mighty things but first He must lovingly remove any “hard spots” that are holding us back, such as negativity, doubt, fear, bad attitudes, pride or sin. Be encouraged, God promises He will not leave us as lumps of clay and He wont let us explode under the fire.
Being confident in this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful. Psalm 139:14

I is for Intimacy.  God knows us more intimately then we are probably comfortable with. He knows our inner most thoughts and the desires of our heart. The Bible says:
You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you.” Psalm 13914-15 (MSG)
God knows you and loves you.  Zephaniah 3:17 says, “He will take delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” God desires that we know Him too.  He wants you to pour out your heart to Him, to be honest with Him. He wants to be your shoulder to cry on. Just like the woman who approached Jesus with a heavy heart, wept at His feet, and dried her tears with her hair.  (Luke 7:38-45) You may wonder, “How do I get to know Him?” First invite Him into your life and heart, then ask Him to forgive you of the things that are making you feel unworthy of His love, and finally read His love book to you, the Bible.  He’ll guide you in the rest.

T is for trust.  I read a heart breaking quote by Marilyn Monroe, “A wise girl kisses but doesn’t love, listens but doesn’t believe, and leaves before she is left.” I worry that women are hardening their hearts and lowering their standards because it is safer than being hurt. God’s love is true and He  wants you to put your trust in Him. He will never leave you or forsake you.  God says, “I will never forget you - never. Look I have written your names on the back of my hands.” Isaiah 15-16 (MSG)  He is your protector, your refuge in times of trouble, better than any prince or imaginary knight in shining armor. Trust Him, He can handle anything that comes your way.
He declares, “Because I, your God, have a firm grip on you and I’m not letting go. I’m telling you, don’t panic, I’m right here to help you.” Isaiah 41:13 (MSG)

E is for everlasting.  God is eternal. His love for you is everlasting. He won’t change His mind.  Max Lucado wrote, “You are valuable because you exist, not because of what you do or what you have done, but simply because you are.” God can’t help but love you because God is love.
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Who ever lives in love, lives in God and God in them. 1 John 4:16
…Nor anything in all creation, will separate us from the love of God, that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:39 
I have loved you will with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness. Jeremiah 31:3

Lastly S is for Sacrificial Love.  All great love stories require sacrifice. You have to value the other person more than yourself.  Jesus is our perfect example of sacrificial love. He said that there was no greater love than for one to give up his life for his friends.  He calls us friends if we follow His commandments. (John 15:9-16)  We don’t have to try and earn His friendship and love. He gives it freely.  He paid the ultimate sacrifice for us so that we would never have to be separated from God’s love.
This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4:9-10

Do you want to be the heroine in God’s great love story?  Your savior awaits with open arms, call out for Him and He will rescue you.  

So this Valentine’s day, if you are feeling lonely and depressed, thinking “Man, Love Bites!”, remind yourself that it doesn’t have to be that way. Once you have been bitten by God’s unconditional love, you’ll find no love is sweeter.  And you won’t need venom to gain special powers because God will fill you with the power of the Holy Spirit.
We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. 2 Corinthians 4:7

God knows that is not good for us to be alone, that we are better off in pairs. That is why he ordained marriage and said that when two marry they will become one. But that does not mean you should rush ahead of God's plan and settle for less. That just leads to heartache. With the Holy Spirit’s power residing within you, God will give you wisdom to discern and eliminate the werewolves in this world that are seeking to destroy you. You are God’s daughter, and like any good father, He wants the best for you, you just have to be willing to pray and wait for it. Daughter, you are worthy of God’s best!
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 

You are probably wondering, “How will I recognize God’s best when I meet him?”  Easy, he’ll be the guy looking at you with the love of Christ in his eyes. And when you meet him, then let love take a bite!
Happy Valentine's Day Ladies.
Love,
Yolanda