Flowers and Chocolate.

Deep down, I think we all have a bit of the romantic in us, wouldn’t you agree?

What girl wouldn’t love to have her man show up at the door with flowers? Bonus points if it isn’t even a birthday or an anniversary….if it’s just a beautiful gesture for no other reason than to say, “You are precious to me, and I love you.”

Laugh if you will. Life circumstances sometimes have a way of knocking down our belief in romance, but I don’t think it can disappear altogether. No matter what our experience has been, somehow we know that REAL romance is possible. The world has twisted it and made it into something idolatrous….but I’m not talking about the twisted and idolatrous version. I’m talking about real love…..the love that brings a song to the heart, a spring to the step, and a light to the eyes….because it’s bright, beautiful, and good. We treasure someone. And they treasure us back.

When love is real, of course it will deepen over time. It will be tested and tried. This is common knowledge, it practically goes without saying. But if the love is real, it will only become more beautiful…..as circumstances provide refining fire, feelings may fluctuate but resolve will not. The “real thing” remains the real thing.

The purpose of this particular writing is not to explore the tests of love, but to ask this unusual question: What does God think of romance?

A whole treatise could be written about this! Here’s a simple answer: it’s no mistake that God put the Song of Solomon in the middle of His Word. Romantic love was His idea. He made it, He gives it as a gift, and it is ultimately meant to teach us something about HIMSELF.

Yes, God deals in flowers and chocolate!

I have a very dear friend who, some years ago, was suddenly thrust into a very difficult and painful circumstance. Her husband was sentenced to years in prison. As she walked through the initial shock and devastation of those early days, the future looking like one hopelessly long stretch of loneliness and single motherhood, one of her sweet children reminded her, “The Lord will take care of us, Mom, He will be your husband now.”

In utter frustration, my friend threw back this reply: “What’s He going to do…..send me FLOWERS???!!!!”

The next day she received a call from the church secretary. “Can you come to the office? There’s a delivery here for you.”

It was flowers. Beautiful flowers. From an unknown person. Just a gift of love.

Not knowing the person who sent that arrangement didn’t matter. God sent it. My friend’s children called them the “God flowers”, and the “God flowers” lasted for a VERY long time without withering…..long beyond the normal expectancy for a cut bouquet.

It was as if He said to her, “I see you. I hear you. You are precious to Me, and I love you.”

Does God deal in flowers? Yes He does. And sometimes in chocolate too…

One day, some years ago, my family and I were in the middle of one of those moments in life when money was very tight. With eleven children and a ministry salary, we were used to this, and had no doubt that God would take care of us. Still, at a time like that, you go to the grocery store for noodles, and you don’t even think about getting much else.

On that particular day, however, I also had a desire for chocolate. I love dark chocolate! And that day I just wished I had some. It wasn’t a discontented wish. I was not praying for it. I knew I didn’t really need it, and I would be fine without it. I just remember walking through my living room, (which was filled with active kids everywhere), and thinking to myself, “Wow, some chocolate would be nice right now.”

Ten minutes later the mail truck pulled into our driveway. Normally the mail truck stays way down by the road where the mailbox is located, but if there’s a larger-sized package, it will come right up near the house to drop it off on the front porch. The mailman handed me a box.

In that box were three large tins filled with Lindor truffles! I’m not talking about cheap little Hershey bars….these were the top-of-the-line deliciousness. Truffles like those normally come in small bags with ten pieces or less, but these tins were filled with probably 30 pieces each.

I was stunned.

Sometimes God does things for no other reason than to show that He is there. He knew I didn’t need that chocolate. He knew I hadn’t even prayed for it. But with that gift, in that moment, it was as if He said, “I see you. You are precious to Me, and I love you.”

Things like this don’t happen every day. And yet, the love of God is always, every second of every day, far deeper and richer than we will ever understand. The purpose of His gifts is not to make us enthralled with the gifts, but to make us ever more deeply grateful for the Giver.

I once wrote this in a journal:

“Every humanly-composed love song, or love story written for page or screen, is merely a shadow compared to the Romance of Redemption. There is no handsome prince, savior of the damsel in distress, faithful lover or hero of the day that can be compared with Jesus Christ. When our hearts are wholly HIS, then honest human love can be better than all the romantic ideals in the world, and real life is better than storybooks.”

And what does God Himself say? “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you….When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched….I am the Lord your God…your Savior….you are precious in My sight…and I love you.” (Isaiah 43: 1-4)