“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.”   (1 John 3:1)

 

February 2010

Dear Friend,

Trusting that all is well with you and your loved ones. We are all fine and looking forward to an anointed, powerful time of ministry this year. Wishing you a Happy Valentine’s Day! When we think of this holiday, we think of hearts and flowers and chocolates.  My husband and I used to go out for a special dinner every year, and he always bought me chocolates. It was an amazing thing, but I have to share this with you. Joe died in January of 2002, and the next month, I was sitting in my recliner on Valentine’s Day and thinking of all the good times we had. I missed him so much, and was having a real pity party when I reached into the pocket of the recliner to take out a magazine to take my mind off of that. When I took the magazine out, a card fell out of it! It was a Valentine’s Day card! Apparently, Joe must have  asked one of the home health aid’s to pick up a card for him to give to me, but he never had a chance to hand it to me. I really cried then, and thought how wonderful it was for the Lord to make me find that card just on that day! I felt doubly blessed, and could not get over the love of Jesus, who, knowing how I would feel, saved this for me for just the right time.

The love we share with our loved ones is only a tiny taste of what our Heavenly Father  has for us! Our relationships here on earth are far from perfect. When we open ourselves to love someone, we can be sure that at some point in time we will see that it is only a taste of what is to come. We are all imperfect, and no matter how much we may try, we really can never get it all perfectly right.  We can never fully imagine the depth and magnitude of the love of God. Who else would send His only begotten Son to come to the earth as a tiny baby, and go through everything that we do, and in the end agree to take our place on the Cross of Calvary, pay the price for our sins, and die for us? There is no greater love! Because of Jesus, we have salvation, and because He Rose from the dead, we know that we will too, and that life eternal belongs to us!

Do you ever think of what heaven is like? I do, especially now that I am growing older. Notice I did not say “old” I said “older!” (Smile) I had a dream once about a friend who was the Day Supervisor for our ministry, and who went home to be with the Lord. I dreamt that I was sitting in a train, and suddenly he sat next to me. I was surprised to see him, and asked where he was going. He told me that he was going home, and he wanted to show me where he lived. So, I got off the train with him, and the next minute, I seemed to be floating high above a most beautiful house. The house had no roof, and there was brilliant sunshine flowing into it. The walls and floors where a pure, brilliant white, and while gazing at this, I saw his wife sitting in a chair reading. She looked so happy, and welcomed me to their home. That was it, nothing else. I firmly believe that I had a small glimpse of heaven and that God was showing me what it is like there. When I think about it, I can see that most likely we would not have to have a roof  on

our home in heaven. There is no reason for rain, or seasonal changes, everything is perfect. The temperature is just right, and God’s Brilliance would be our light. My thoughts on his wife reading a book would lead me to consider that heaven is a place where we would learn something new every day. We will never be bored or think we know it all! How exciting is that? Wow! No sitting on a cloud playing a harp! We will all have a job to do, and we will be so happy doing it. No frustrations, since everything is perfect in heaven. No computer break downs, no printers stopping in the middle of the job, no one calling in sick. I can go on and on, and I am sure you can too! Jesus says “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:2,3)

In the meantime, back to earth. We are here because God has ordained for us to be here in this time, at this place, wherever we are. He loves us so much that he has saved the best for last, and in the meantime, we somehow do get a glimpse of heaven here on earth from time to time. As imperfect as it is, we have people in our lives that we love, and those who love us, and this makes us feel happy and fulfilled. Jesus tells us “ a new commandment I give unto you. That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (John 13:34,35) Therefore, if we want to know what heaven is like, and we want others to know that too, we can start by taking Jesus’ commandment seriously and treat others with love and respect.

This love is to be brought into our daily living. Husbands, love your wives; wives, love your husbands. Parents, love your children, and children, love your parents. It all begins  in the family, and then it extends outward to relatives, friends, co-workers, neighbors, etc. Life is too short to hold grudges and be mad at one another! If we need to ask for forgiveness, let us do so today. If we need to forgive, do it today, and let it go. Let us all encourage one another in the Lord, and make every day count for good. My husband did not know that he would not be here for that Valentine’s Day, but he prepared for it ahead of time anyway. If we can think ahead of ways to bless with words of hope and healing, it is good! We do not know if we have tomorrow, and wouldn’t it be just so wonderful to be able to leave a lasting word of love to others? Let us do so today! We do not have to wait for a holiday, we can do it right now!

Father, in Jesus precious Name we come before You and worship and adore You. We thank You for Your wondrous love Lord. Thank You for loving us so unconditionally. Thank You for Your patience with us, and Your standing by us when we stumble and fall. You are a Loving God, who cheers us on! You want us, even more than we do, to know what true love is. Father, we thank You that You are our Daddy God, Abba Father, and we love You so much. Help us to love others as You do. Help us to see others the way You do. Help us to see ourselves the way You do! Thank You Father, we praise You today, and always. Love, Your child. Amen.

God bless you!

Rev. Barbara Anne Yovino, Ph.D.