Conversation Hearts
We're all hard-wired for love—especially our kids. Let's remind them of how loved they are this month.
By Jennifer Archambault
As a kid around Valentine’s Day, I loved getting a cardboard box of conversation hearts. I’d open the box and shake the contents on the table, carefully flipping over each one to discover what was printed on top. I remember giggling over the words, creating little phrases and sliding them across the table to my siblings or parents. The orange ones were my favorite, but I loved the whole word-y experience of expressing love and affection to those around me.
Maybe that’s why I’m drawn to all things pink, red and heart-shaped this time of year. As soon as the ornaments and decorations are put away and the house is quieted from Christmas celebrations, I find myself wandering the Valentine’s Day aisles. I pick up boxes of conversation hearts for my kids (and google “what does ILYSM, LOML or WYCM mean”) and oversized boxes with 3 tiny chocolates inside to set on the kitchen table on February 14. I still love the whole word-y experience of expressing love and affection to those around me.
Maybe, better yet, I’m drawn to all things pink, red and heart-shaped because I’ve been hard-wired for love by a God who made me. Even better than wandering the aisles of Walmart or Target, is turning to God’s Word for timeless truths about who I am and how much He loves me. God’s “conversation hearts” to his children are sprinkled throughout the Bible and when we take the time to discover (and believe) who He says we are, we are transformed from the inside out.
What does God say about us? He says we are:
1. Accepted (Romans 15:7)
2. Empowered (Philippians 4:13)
3. Not Alone (Matthew 28:20, Joshua 1:9)
4. Protected (Psalm 121:3)
5. Chosen (John 15:16)
6. Child of God (Romans 8:16, 1 John 3:1)
7. Co-heir with Christ (Romans 8:15)
8. Redeemed (Galatians 3:13, Ephesians 1:7)
9. A New Creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)
10. Loved (Jeremiah 31:3)
11. Forgiven (1 John 1:9)
12. Precious (Isaiah 43:4)
13. Strong (Isaiah 40:31)
14. Beautiful (Psalm 139:14)
15. Unique (Psalm 139:13)
16. Created for a purpose (Jeremiah 29:11)
17. Treasured (Deuteronomy 14:2)
18. God’s Masterpiece/Special (Ephesian 2:10)
19. Important (1 Peter 2:9)
20. Adopted into God’s Family (Romans 8:15)
21. Righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21)
22. Free (Galatians 5:1)
23. Whole in Christ (Colossians 2:10)
24. Alive in Christ (Romans 6:11)
25. Blessed (Ephesians 1:3)
26. Strong (Ephesians 6:10)
27. Safe (John 10: 28)
28. Courageous (Deuteronomy 31:6)
To take it a step further, we don’t just have to blindly trust God’s words. Instead, we consider his actions. He “walks the talk”. John 4:7-12 says, “Dear friend, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is made complete in us.”
God demonstrates His love to us by sending Jesus “as an atoning sacrifice for our sins”. And since we’ve been loved this way, we now need to love one another. When this happens, God lives in us and makes his love widespread. We get to embody the love of God through Christ to others. Let’s spread this type of love far and wide, both in belief and in action, in February and every day that is called today, until He returns or calls us home.
Bonus Activity:
If you’re a parent, grandparent, caregiver, aunt, uncle or someone who gets to love a child, consider giving your child(ren) a construction-paper-conversation-heart each day in the month of February, stating one of the truths about our identity in Christ from the list above. Write a word or phrase on the heart along with the corresponding verse. Take the time to open the Bible, look up the verse, and read it together. You can even tape these hearts on their bedroom door.
Sometimes, we all need reminders – especially when our child's experience (within a particular moment, day, week, month, or year) doesn’t “feel” like it matches the truth. Our child’s behaviors don’t change the truth of God’s Word, but hopefully, God’s Word will shift our experience of certain behaviors or circumstances with our child.
Do we (and our children) know what God says and are we working to believe it (for ourselves and our children)?
You’ve got this. Cheering you all on. Happy Valentine’s Day.
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