Since it is Valentine’s Day, I feel compelled to write this blog post about love! I promise not to include the mushy gushy language that some might resort to when thinking of this holiday, mostly so that my wife can be spared being in the public “eye” as the man who is wildly in love with her and discovers new things about her all the time to love (oh wait, am I doing it?) … Writes about love.
A few years ago, just before my second child, Isaiah, was born, I was having a conversation with a really good friend of mine about parenting. He had three children of his own, and added two more as a result of a second marriage and blended family. I was confiding in him that I was nervous about how I could possibly love my second child as much as my first. I was concerned about having room in my heart!
What he said during that conversation has stuck with me for the last 8 years of my life and continues to shape how I feel. He said, “Mychal, when you have a second child, or third, don’t worry about having enough in one heart, because you’ll grow another one for each child. …”
What a visual, what a concept, what a relief! And, you know, he was right! When my second son was born, with his own little hands, toes, and eyes (although since he was 10 pounds, my wife may argue the “little” part), I could feel how individually special he was to me, and that didn’t take away from of my older son, or wife. I truly had grown a new heart, just for him! I experienced this for the third time when our youngest son, Malachi, was born in 2014. Adding a heart each time, God has provided all the room needed for me to love each one of them, individually, specially, and fully. Certainly, I fall short as a dad often, but the love I feel for them does not have a ceiling.
As I think about this, I can’t help but think about God’s love for us. In Isaiah 43:1, we are told that God created us, formed us, summoned us by name, and that we are His!
Later in Isaiah, chapter 49, we are reminded that God will never forget us, and says, “I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.” God’s love for us is demonstrated throughout the Bible, and certainly culminates in his action to send his one and only Son to save us from our sin.
In a world where we can sometimes get lost in the shuffle, or feel like just another person in the crowd, I find it so comforting to know that we all have a special place in God’s heart. He has a heart with your name on it! So, whether you have a “valentine” this year or not, remember that God’s heart is full of love for you, and is given for you to share with others!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Mychal Thom,
Head of School