dear loved ones,

love letters. letters of love? no, they arent the same. often times i have heard that the bible is "god's love letter" to us. this phrase, to me, has always seemed to go in one ear, and out the other. but as a result of current events in my life, this idea that the bible is god's love letter to me has congealed itself into my mind. before this past week-or-so, i always seemed to think love letters were an incredibly romantic sentiment. a "love letter," to me, was seen as a note that a boy would write to a girl (or vice-versa, of course), containing all of his endearments towards her, confessing his love and telling her of how brilliantly wonderful she is. and what girl, or boy for that matter, doesn't want that version of a "love letter"? i based my definition of a love letter on what i'd seen in the movies and read in novels (something that i often do). but i have recently come to realize that that is not what a love letter really is. my new definition of a love letter is simply this: a letter written by someone who loves you. my mom could write me a love letter, as could my friends, and anyone else who loves me...not just a boy. earlier this week i received a stack of "love letters," from the person in which i consider my "boyfriend." as he left for two weeks to venture to the other side of the world he left me a letter for every day that he's gone. and i was extremely excited to read them, one by one. but suddenly, i realized something. something that made me feel kind of aweful. i was more eager to read these letters that a boy had written me, than to read what god had written for me (i'm talking about the bible). this is because i thought the letters from my boyfriend would hold true to my previous definition of a "love letter." i wanted to hear all the "mooshy" stuff. and so i had my expectations; they were broken. after reading quite a few of these "love letters," so far only one of them has contained anything heart-felt or romantic. and i couldnt be more thankful. because this made me realize the real reason i wanted to read these letters. i wanted to read them because i knew that they were written by someone who loves me. i knew they had been written with love. and that is what a real love letter is. god has written me thousands of pages of love letters. the bible was written with me in mind. no, it doesn't contain the romantic sentiments that make a girl's heart melt, but everything that was written was written by someone who loves me. the bible isnt a letter of love; the bible is god's love letter to you and me.

sincerely,
alli