Happy Valentine’s Day

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY🤍

I’ll be so real I genuinely didn’t realise that Valentine’s was that much of a big deal to people. It was only when I went into work and everyone was asking each other what they were doing that I realised that people actually take the day seriously. Quite honestly Valentine’s isn’t really a thing for me, probably because i’m not in a relationship. But even so, I’ve never really understood when people say that they get down if they don’t have someone to spend it with - because in my head it’s literally just another day. And that isn’t to belittle anyone’s feelings, because I guess I most likely have a different perspective on things having never been in a relationship - but still, c’mon guys i’m pretty sure it’s not that deep.

I remember back when I was around 13, it was Valentine’s and all the girls from school were posting on Snap all their gifts that they had received from their boyfriends. And I remember really wanting everyone to think that I too had a valentine. So what did Khairah decide to do? She decided to follow suit, except your girl hadn’t received any gifts, and most definitely didn’t have a boyfriend - not even in the slightest. Yet I decided to take one teddy that I had lying around in my room, an empty Victoria Secret bag that I found from when I had bought myself some perfumes and posted it on Snap (note - I wasn’t even allowed Snapchat at the time). And that isn’t even the worst part, I then proceeded to write in the caption - “thanks babe.”. Oh.my.days - Khairah Please. Every time I think back I just have to ask myself why?! Thank God for growth.

Anyway, onto what I actually wanted to talk about today - God’s Grace & Love. At the start of the year my Pastor announced the theme for this year which is - The Year of God’s Great Grace. I remember writing it down in my notes and then thinking to myself - what does that actually mean? So I begun to pray about it, and ask God to help me to understand what His grace is, and then He reminded me of one of the many ways He has revealed His grace to me in my life…

In the earlier years of my salvation I really struggled with the idea that I didn’t have to do anything in order to gain God’s love, or be accepted by Him. I would always strive to be ‘perfect’ and do all these works, thinking that somehow if I ‘did enough’ in my strength I could get God to love me - what a lie. I lived in such fear everyday that God would leave me because I wasn’t good enough. There was a period of time where I was so consistent in getting up and praying and reading my Bible, but then afterwards I would feel so condemned because I always feared that the time I had spent with God wasn’t enough.

Looking back now I see how this was clearly a strategy from the enemy, because I got to the point where I felt so weary, as everything I was doing was out of fear. I completely misunderstood God’s grace. I believed the lie that somehow I could earn His love. And it’s only as I began to mature in my faith and realise more and more just how imperfect I am and how perfect He is that I realised - that His love and grace actually have nothing to do with me or anything that I do.

I will never be able to attain or work to gain His love, because of how great He is - and so by His grace He has taught me to accept His love as a gift. And as I learn to accept God’s love and grace in my life, I have begun to see Him in a completely new light. That He is kind, He is compassionate, He is so full of grace and mercy. And as He reveals Himself to me more and more, I realise just how much I NEED His grace every-single-day. And now I have more of a desire to get to know Him, because in actual fact His grace and love has little to do with me and EVERYTHING to do with Him - how beautiful.

So now when I spend time with God and make right choices it isn’t out of fear that if I don’t do this He won’t love me. It’s now that I actually want spent time with Him and live holy because of how much He already loves me.

I John 4:10 says, “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us…”. So to anyone that may have believed the same lie that I did, know that He loves you and that His love is a gift - something that cannot be worked for. His love for you is incomparable to any other.

In closing I wanted to share a quote which says, “Grace is God giving the greatest treasure to the least deserving - which is every one of us.”.

The love that Jesus has given each and every one of us is one of the greatest undeserving treasures and displays of His great grace. A love that isn’t based on you, your goodness, your beauty, your flaws or weaknesses. A love that is based on Him - our kind, unwavering, constant, compassionate, merciful God. And what’s even more beautiful is that this isn’t just a feeling, it’s a fact. Most people especially on days like today are so caught up in a feeling, but no God’s unwavering love and grace is real and true towards you every single day. So rest in that.

So to everyone remember that Jesus loves you EVERY DAY :) If you are reading this and don’t have a relationship with Jesus, if you haven’t accepted Him into your heart as Lord and Saviour - I encourage you to let Him in. There is no other person, place or thing in the world who will love you the way that He does, heal you from all your hurts and forgive you from all of your sin. It all begins with a prayer of repentance -

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Saviour.

If you have said that prayer and have accepted Him in and have more questions please do message me, more than happy to help.

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).” - Ephesians 2:4-5