Happy Something Day!

God showed the world just how deep His love can go when He sent His only Son to sacrifice Himself in an act of propitiation for the remediation for our sin. He stepped from heaven into this pit of sin and degradation, rejected temptation, lived a perfect life and defeated death because He loves us all so deeply. Now, everyone who has total faith in our loving God is able to escape sin and death through God’s grace!

A sacrifice born of love and grace born of love; all this so that a loving God could surround Himself with those who deeply love Him in return. The day Christ died for sins that were not His own was indeed love’s finest hour. This is inarguably the greatest love story that could ever be written. So, what better day to share this love story than on a day that is dedicated to love – right?

On Valentine’s day a couple of years ago, little Dexter Thielhelm decided to celebrate the Day of Love by sharing the love of God with his second-grade class in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. He constructed a make-shift Valentine made of a plastic water bottle filled with heart-shaped candies. To the exterior of the bottle, he had attached a note that said, “Jesus Loves You!” along with the entire passage of John 3:16.

This innocuous gesture, however, was met with considerable objection when his teacher noticed the profane message on little Dexter’s bottle. Dexter was quickly routed to the principal’s office where he was ordered to remove the abhorrent scribble before any more tender little minds were twisted by the appalling message Dexter chose to share with the class.

The school stood on the First Amendment in defense of its actions, citing that the school could not show regard to any religion. The irony is that on the very day little Dexter was reprimanded for his disgusting show of disrespect for his impressionable classmates, the school was celebrating Valentine’s day – a holiday named for and designed to commemorate a Christian priest who was martyred for his love of Christ.

Is the day coming when society’s gross misinterpretation of the first amendment will finally result in any and all things related to religion – especially the Christian religion – being banned? Will governments and schools like this school in Sheboygan, Wisconsin eventually determine to not celebrate anything pertaining to Christianity? How many of our holidays will then be lost? In my humble opinion, if and when we finally divorce Christianity from society, there will truly be nothing left to celebrate! Perhaps we will all follow George Costanza’s lead and be resigned to celebrating “Festivus”. Or perhaps we will just have a Something Day!

Little Dexter Thielhelm had it right. Of all the things in this world to celebrate, the love of God is certainly one of them.

So, choose this day whom you will serve, honor and celebrate! As for me, till the day I die, I will celebrate the love of the Lord!