IN LOVE

“Guess what, Aunt Valda. I have a boyfriend!” my niece looked at her dad as she giggled.

“Oh, really?” I hadn’t seen my niece for three months. This new development in her six-year-old social life was a shocker. “Who is your boyfriend?”

She stated his name. “He’s in my class at school.”

Her young face glowed. Were there animated hearts reflected in her eyes? As her head swivelled purposefully toward her father again, I quickly recognized that the love-glow on her face was not caused by a Grade One romance.

My brother-in-law responded predictably. “I don’t know what’s going on in that school!” He frowned at his daughter. “No one has a boyfriend here!”

“Yes, I do!” With another giggle, she twirled and ran off to find her favourite Christmas present to show me.

I laughed and shared that I’d never seen so many romantic crushes in my Kindergarten class as I have this year. Was it the mandatory masks causing a sense of intrigue?

We continued with our adult conversation, catching up on the family news. However, throughout the evening, the topic of my niece’s romance came up over and over again. She weaved the phrase “my boyfriend” into almost every interaction she had with her father, and each time, she punctuated her words with a pointed look and a huge grin. And my brother-in-law consistently rose to the occasion, responding with frustrated denial.

At his expense, it was quite entertaining to watch.

“Do you want to visit Omega Park to see the animals this week?” he asked her.

“No, I don’t have time. I’m getting married this week.” There was a pause. A head turn. A look. A grin. “To my boyfriend.”

She kept it up for hours—the merciless teasing. I was silently thanking God for giving me three boys.

“We’re in love!” she stated. “Me and my boyfriend.”

Indeed, love was reflected in her eyes, but the real holder of her affection sat in the room with us. And he was no boy, but a grown man who loved her more than any six-year-old was capable of loving her.

Despite my brother-in-law’s reaction to his daughter’s boyfriend talk, he knows she is teasing him. He knows that she does it because she loves him.

Our heavenly father loves us—His children—even more! I wonder how it makes Him feel when we tease Him with our other interests. I suspect it hurts Him much more than my niece’s innocent game.

Jesus summarizes the first four commandments of the Big Ten in Matthew 22:37 (NIV): “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”

Our heart is how we love. Do we truly love God more than anyone/anything else? Do we love Him more than our spouses? More than our children?

Some say your soul is your true nature. It consists of your thoughts and feelings and your resulting character. How often does our sinful nature affect what we think about and our emotional responses to people and situations?

Our mind is our control center. It rules our decision-making and our actions. Do we consult God before doing the things we do? Or do we often drive our lives without our GPS because we think we know where we’re going and how to get there?

David had it right when he wrote Psalm 103:1 (ESV):

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and all that is within me,

bless his holy name!

ALL that is within me …

Let’s strive to love and praise God with our ALL: heart, soul, and mind!

Father,

I love You. I truly do. I’m sorry for all of the times I unknowingly teased You with my commitment to other things or people. I choose to put You back on top as my One True Love.

I surrender my whole being to You. Take my heart, soul, and mind and make them Yours.

Lead me where You want me to go and use my life to lead others to You. Amen.

For more blog posts like this, visit Val’s Stage at www.valsstage.com. If you’re on Instagram, check out my TUESDAY TICKLE and FRIDAY FUNNY posts [@valdagoudie]. Send me an email if you’d like these to go straight to your Inbox. I’d love to connect with you! Valda.goudie@gmail.com