Have you ever totally missed hints that were all around you? I’m not talking about a word that goes over your head or misunderstanding something. I’m talking about being oblivious to what is right there. As I was growing up, my dad joked with me more than one time, “Jeff, if it was a snake, it would have bit you.” I so easily miss seeing things that are right in front of me.
Last week, Cathy thanked me for changing the battery in her electric toothbrush. Mine needed to be changed anyway, so it was an easy thing to do. As I was accepting her thanks for this little thing, I got up the courage to ask her why she hadn’t thanked me for the Valentine’s Day cards I had given her. Note the plural here: cards. We do not normally exchange Valentine’s Day cards—and especially this year with it being Ash Wednesday—Cathy justifiably assumed we weren’t doing cards.
In Cathy’s defense, these were not sparkly expensive Hallmark cards. They were tiny cards I’d cut off the back of a Little Debbie’s Valentine’s snack cake box. I’m such a romantic! The cards hadn’t cost anything, so I didn’t think she would care that I broke our tradition of not buying things for each other for Valentine’s.
Even though the only cost was a little time, I was a bit hurt. They weren’t Hallmark cards, but I had put at least a little thought into them. I wanted Cathy to know I still love her after all these years. I’m so glad I asked about them. The issue wasn’t that she was ungrateful. She honestly didn’t even see them!
I had put them places where I thought Cathy would see them. But they were tiny, and Cathy missed them completely! She assumed they were just more little pieces of paper we tend to leave around all over the house (receipts, sticky notes, library due dates).
Once I told her, she looked over at her nightstand and sure enough, there was one! (This also gives you an idea of their impressive size.)
Last week, Cathy thanked me for changing the battery in her electric toothbrush. Mine needed to be changed anyway, so it was an easy thing to do. As I was accepting her thanks for this little thing, I got up the courage to ask her why she hadn’t thanked me for the Valentine’s Day cards I had given her. Note the plural here: cards. We do not normally exchange Valentine’s Day cards—and especially this year with it being Ash Wednesday—Cathy justifiably assumed we weren’t doing cards.
In Cathy’s defense, these were not sparkly expensive Hallmark cards. They were tiny cards I’d cut off the back of a Little Debbie’s Valentine’s snack cake box. I’m such a romantic! The cards hadn’t cost anything, so I didn’t think she would care that I broke our tradition of not buying things for each other for Valentine’s.
Even though the only cost was a little time, I was a bit hurt. They weren’t Hallmark cards, but I had put at least a little thought into them. I wanted Cathy to know I still love her after all these years. I’m so glad I asked about them. The issue wasn’t that she was ungrateful. She honestly didn’t even see them!
I had put them places where I thought Cathy would see them. But they were tiny, and Cathy missed them completely! She assumed they were just more little pieces of paper we tend to leave around all over the house (receipts, sticky notes, library due dates).
Once I told her, she looked over at her nightstand and sure enough, there was one! (This also gives you an idea of their impressive size.)
She had even picked one up and used it as a bookmark in her Bible and hadn’t even paid attention to what it was! (I'm not even sure where the bigger one on the left came from!)
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Cathy felt terrible knowing I thought she’d ignored the ways I tried to tell her I loved her. She hadn’t ignored these hints that I loved her. She’d missed them entirely! But once she knew to look, she found them and appreciated them.
This Lent we encourage you to keep your eyes open to all the ways God loves you. Sometimes the hints are easy to miss. Love is not all Hallmark cards, flowers, and candy. Love can be found in a kind word, a caring touch, or even a tiny Little Debbie’s Valentine card. God’s love can be seen in a beautiful sky or heard in a song that touches our heart. He leaves hints everywhere if we just have eyes to see, ears to hear, and souls open to being touched by His love.
This Lent we encourage you to keep your eyes open to all the ways God loves you. Sometimes the hints are easy to miss. Love is not all Hallmark cards, flowers, and candy. Love can be found in a kind word, a caring touch, or even a tiny Little Debbie’s Valentine card. God’s love can be seen in a beautiful sky or heard in a song that touches our heart. He leaves hints everywhere if we just have eyes to see, ears to hear, and souls open to being touched by His love.
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