50 years ago, Kim Grove created a simple little cartoon as a way of expressing her love for her then fiancé, Roberto Casali. “Love Is . . .� was born as a blissfully happy couple illustrating a simple caption. “Love Is . . . all you need�. Over the years, she continued writing these little notes to her now husband until one day, he took them to a newspaper to gauge interest and have been featured ever since! The little sentiments grew with their marriage and changed with their circumstances: “Love is. . . taking one day at a time�, “Love is. . .sharing the bathroom mirror�, “Love is. . .for always, come rain or shine�. Kim’s motto was, To love, and be loved, is the most wonderful thing in the universe!

She wasn’t wrong. Yet, there is a Love, an unconditional Love, that surpasses any earthly love, and that is the Love our Heavenly Father has for His children! Similar to the cartoon, I find that the love we have for Him in return varies depending on our circumstances too. For instance, when blessings seem to be flowing, we may say: God is. . . Great! When we’re in a difficult situation, we might say: God is. . .my Helper.  A.W. Tozer wrote, “What comes into our mind when we think about God is the most important thing about us.â€�

Just as our physical relationship needs to be nurtured with loving words and affirmations, so our spiritual relationship needs to be. Have you told God how Wonderful he is today? Do others see your relationship with your Lord and know that God is… Love?

Dear God, May the whole world see and know how Great YOU are; how YOUR Love is never-ending, and that YOU gave YOUR life for us because YOU are. . . LOVE! Amen.

1.    1 John 4:7-8 (NIV).

Today’s Encounter was written by: Veronica B.