Knowing We are Loved Matters: A Valentine’s Idea
As a facilitator of neighbor Bible study, I continually look for fresh ideas to communicate the love of God towards us. If the Lord is creative enough to design butterflies and the zebra, certainly He can give me creativity with the women in my Bible study.
It’s a well-known fact that for Valentine’s Day, the one book that is read aloud in my home (even to my older children) is “Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch.” If you’ve not read this precious book, it’s about a man who is very lonely and feels unloved. He goes about his days in a ho-hum way until one day he receives an anonymous valentine. It changes everything for him as he considers that somebody loves him. The end has a little twist, but the moral is that knowing we are loved MATTERS!
One year, I decided to change it up. Instead of just reading the book at Bible study, I contacted the husbands of the women of the group and ask them to help me. I sent a quick note to them that said, “Hello! I am hoping to surprise the ladies around Valentine’s Day with a note from their husband. Could you please take a couple of minutes and answer the question: What do you admire about your wife? I would like 2-3 sentences. You can send it via text or email.”
The morning of Bible study came and honestly, I was overwhelmed.
The husbands were amazing with their words. They had taken time to be thoughtful and encouraging. I took each of their notes and reproduced them on pretty stationery.
“She is the most supportive wife, who is never critical of me to others, always respects my opinions, and honors me without complaint after long hours of work.”
“She is the most capable person I’ve ever met. There is absolutely NOTHING she can’t accomplish when she puts her mind to it.”
One by one, I read the notes aloud. We laughed. We cried. We shared a very special and precious moment together. One of the ladies said, with tears in her eyes, “I have never heard him say these things. This means the world to me.” She and her husband had been married for 40+ years!
Mr. Hatch strikes again!
Ask the Lord to give you creativity. He can do what you could never do on your own.
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us.” Ephesians 1:7,8
How have you focused on Valentine’s Day in your Bible study? Share your ideas with other leaders in the comments.
