What Love Really Means

It's February. It's that time of year when the television ads remind us all about hearts and flowers and expensive jewelry and finding the perfect Valentine.

After all, that's what love is all about, right?

But is it really?

I have had a song repeatedly running through my head this morning. I heard JJ Heller sing it on K-LOVE radio as I drove to choir practice last night. It's called "What Love Really Means."

I haven't faced the terrible circumstances of the people she sings about. In it, she sings about a boy who has a life story "no one would believe." I have always had a family who has loved and cared about me.

She sings about a wife whose husband has left her. She wonders if she were just thinner, would her husband have stayed? I have been married almost 30 years to a wonderful man who loves me unconditionally.

She sings about a man in a cell who wants to be forgiven and cries out to God in his final hours before death. I have never been there either.

But the final words of the song still speak to my soul. It is God telling all these people:

I will love you for you
Not for what you have done
Or what you will become.
I will love you for you.
I will give you the love
The love that you never knew.

And I think God's reminding me of that, too. I've heard the song before, but for some reason, it really sunk in this time. Maybe it's because earlier in the day, I had just read a devotional with the same message.

I have been chosen by God, my email devotional from ourprayer.org had reminded me:

The book of Ephesians says so: "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ...For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight."

Ephesians 1:3-4

Think of it! Before He designed the universe, our heavenly Father selected you as a special object of His eternal affection. ... God always chooses us for a special purpose. Jesus said, "I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit. (John 15:16) What fruit are you to bear? The fruit of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5: 22-23).

God wants to fill your life with His spirit of love and joy and peace and pure goodness.

That's the kind of LOVE I should be celebrating this Valentine's Day.

But I'm human. And in my humanness, I sometimes get caught in evaluating myself with the world's standards.

"I'm not thin enough to be worthy. I'm not pretty enough to be worthy. I'm not smart enough to be worthy. I don't do enough to be worthy."

I think that's why the message of the song (and the message from Ephesians) is so powerful:

This is GOD speaking to me - not that human voice that doubts my worthiness:

I will love you for you
Not for what you have done
Or what you will become
I will love you for you.
I will give you the love
The love that you never knew.





And that's a message worth hearing this Valentine's month. It's way more valuable than expensive jewelry and flowers.

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If you're looking for a yummy way to share love from your kitchen this Valentine's Day, here's a tried-and-true recipe from my kitchen to yours!

They are called Caramel Chip Bars, but I think they are more like candy. They are a favorite around here at holiday celebrations! Enjoy!

Caramel Chip Bars

1/2 cup butter (no substitutes)
32 caramels, unwrapped
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 pkg. yellow cake mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 cups miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup vanilla or white chips
1/2 cup Heath brickle chips

In large saucepan, combine butter, caramel and condensed milk; cook and stir over medium-low heat until smooth. You may also use the microwave, taking care not to burn the mixture. Cool.

In a mixing bowl, combine cake mix, oil and eggs; mix well. Stir in chips and brickle. Dough will be stiff. Press 3/4 into a greased 9- by 13-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Place on wire rack for 10 minutes. Pour caramel mixture over crust. Drop remaining dough by spoonfuls onto caramel layer. Bake for 25 to 30 additional minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes; run a knife around edges of pan. Cool 40 minutes longer; cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

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Need another idea?

Try these Caramel Coconut Squares.

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Or see my December blog, R-E-S-T, for links to several other cookies. There's also one of our family favorite cookie recipes in last February's Food for Thought post, Heart of the Home.

Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours!