Chocolates or Gold?
Written by Jennifer P.

I remember when I was a little girl my Mother would always buy us a heart shaped box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day. I would wait with great anticipation for the time she would pull them out of hiding and give them to us. We would tear the plastic off and then try to pick which one we would devour first. Of course, there were always a few that were disgusting flavors (Who really likes orange flavored cream in Chocolate?). We would try to find out which ones those were and then pawn them off on our brothers. But you had to bite them to find them out. As we got older my mother stopped buying us the chocolates. I gave a few valentines to my friends, but never anything big (boys were completely excluded from my card list.). In High School I did nothing for Valentine’s Day but when I got to college, I reversed the roles and started buying chocolates for my Mom. It became very special to me to find something small as a gift and a card that expressed special sentiments and to watch the smiles and tears in her surprised face. Yet in all of my years of Valentine’s Days I did have a slight hope for the day when I would get a Valentine from “someone special.” I had dreamy visions of some dashing young man bringing me roses and jewelry (and chocolates). I finally got my chance last year and he did bring me roses, diamond earrings, chocolates, and a few other pleasantries as well. The perfect man? Well, not God’s perfect man for me. That engagement was a hard one to break, but God sought to give me something that I did not know yet. In fact I still have not found Mr. Perfect. Am I worried? Sometimes. Will this Valentine’s Day be hard? Maybe, but I will try my best not to let it be so. You see, when I was still in High School I determined that I would wait until the Lord sent me His perfect Earthly Valentine. And though the waiting may seem hard right now, I know that God will reward me for waiting on His time.

In today’s world waiting for the right guy to find you is almost unheard of. Even in the Christian realm people as young as elementary age are encouraged to have boyfriends. Girls have secret crushes and hope that the guy they think is so cute will notice them. My Grandpa used to tell me, “Life is like a box of chocolates; You never know what you’re goin’ to get.” He never used it in this context, but I see certain principles that apply. Most young people look at dating with a “Chocolate Box” mentality. There are good ones and bad ones, but you will never know until you try it out. So they “taste around.” Sometimes the one they go out with is terrible and leaves a nasty taste in their mouths. So they dump him or her and move on to the next. They may go through several bad relationships before they find a good one. You can’t tell before you bite in that the relationship will be a bad one, they all look good at the start. Beware girls. That good looking guy may be unsaved or spiritually backsliding and he will influence you to follow his direction. Sad to say that with all of this dating around most young people are missing out on a wonderful blessing and come out with many hurts and broken relationships and friendships. “But I can’t stand to spend another Valentine’s Day without a date!” you may say. What are you focusing on? Earthly pleasures or Heavenly blessings? It would be a pity to find the right one only to have that relationship tainted with the nasty taste of the previous one.

I will admit that it is hard to see my friends and their special others enjoying time together and I do miss that feeling that someone loves me very much. But instead of becoming despairing of my misfortune I have had to turn my focus to a higher plane. Someone does love me very much already. I did not date around before meeting the young man I was engaged to, and I will not do so now that I am single again. I have learned that God has given me this time as a single young woman to learn more about Him and how to grow closer to my Heavenly Valentine. If I spent my time trying to find that special someone (or even wishing he would find me!) my time would be taken up with how to make myself attractive and how to be in just the right place at the right time. That is not showing faith that God can work all things out Himself. I would be trying to do God’s job for Him. In essence, I do not trust God’s plan, but think I have to do something myself. Sarah fell into this trap when God promised Abraham that He would provide a son. Sarah was not willing to wait on God’s timing and to speed things up, she created a plan of her own. We all know the sad consequences that action brought her family. Waiting is not easy, but we must wait if we are to receive the full blessing the Lord intends for us.

I remember that even though we had waited a whole year for those chocolates, we ate them very quickly and in a short time they were gone. We had to wait a whole year before we would get them again. Pleasures on this earth are many, but most are temporal and do not last. Roses fade, chocolates melt, and cards eventually get thrown away. This year let’s try to focus not so much on the gifts of Valentine’s Day, but the hearts behind them. How is your relationship with your mother or your father? Are you longing for a boyfriend but losing your sister? Do you ever spend quality time with your brother? There are people right within our homes that have known us our entire lives and cherish our heart way more than any other person in the world. They are the gold in our lives. My mother has a sister that has rejected her family and it pains her very much that she never had a sister to be very close with. She watches me and my sister share our secrets and enjoy going out together and wishes that she could have done that with her own sister. What about your relationship with God? How much have you talked to Him lately? Do you really KNOW Him? We need to spend more time developing these special relationships we already have rather than pining for one we don’t. God may have someone special for each one us. He may intend for us to be single. We will never appreciate any of it unless we learn to appreciate what He has already given us.

Matt. 6:19-21 “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal; But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

I Pet. 1: 7 “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, thought it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:”

We are instructed to lay up crowns in Heaven and be as pure as gold. I would like to challenge you this Valentine’s Day (or month), let’s change our focus from desiring the chocolate, to seeking the gold. Give your father a valentine. Buy your mother or grandmother a box of chocolates. Let them know you care. By being content and waiting on the Lord’s timing, we shall be rewarded with a treasure that is lasting in eternity.

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