A card to be given to someone
she loves to commemorate an anniversary.
On the inside were words
written by someone from the Dayspring Cards Company. Although she thought them
and pondered the words on the card before she purchased it, still they were
written by someone else.
The words exclaimed; “my best friend- a man I admire, respect,
and love more than anyone else in the world.”
And at first glance, in a
foul mood, one could simply brush away the card as though written for someone else
because the words were written by someone else. All she did is purchase it and
sign her name to it; adding the gratuitous; “I love you!”
And yet, for her, it was as
though someone wrote down what she was thinking or how she felt. And so she
bought the card; as she has done so many times over the past thirty five years.
I knew that she had admired,
respected, and loved her dad very much when he was alive; very much!
And now, not only was she
saying this to her “best friend”, but to someone, whom she admired, respected,
and loved MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE IN THE WORLD!
Really; did she really mean
MORE than ANYONE else in the WHOLE world?
And so I asked her. And she
replied; “Yes”. Although she had not written the card, she had spent a fair
amount of time hand selecting, pondering, and searching through a multiplicity
of cards looking for one that would express her heart.
This was her thoughts. This
was her heart expressed so very clearly. This was what she wanted him to read
and to hear and to feel as she poured out her love to him.
This would be the benchmark
to return to during seasons of misunderstanding each other; the point to return
to so that love could find its bearings in a time of confusion and harsh words.
This gesture of love has been
the mating dance for these two lovers throughout their time as a couple. Boxes
of cards have been purchased from Blue Mountain, and Hallmark, and Shoebox, and
Dayspring to express their desire to be with the other.
A simple card to let her
young lover know that there is no one else who she loves so very much.
A simple card to let her
young lover know that there is someone who loves him when he can’t even love
himself.
A simple card that will be
kept long beyond the day of celebration.
A simple card.
“But when
the time arrived that was set by God the Father, God sent His Son, born among
us of a woman, born under the conditions of the law so that He might redeem
those of us who have been kidnapped by the law. Thus we have been set free to
experience our rightful heritage. You can tell for sure that you are now fully
adopted as His own children because God sent the Spirit of His Son into our
lives crying out, “Papa! Father!” Doesn’t that privilege of intimate
conversation with God make it plain that you are not a slave, but a child? And
if you are a child, you’re also an heir, with complete access to the inheritance.”
(Galatians 4:4-7 MSG)
The Message (MSG)
Copyright
© 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson
