Love 365 Days a Year

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Written By Carol McLeod

Valentine’s Day ... some folks love it ... some folks tolerate it ... while others dread it! Remember those Valentine Boxes we used to make in Elementary School? We would carefully decorate them with shades of pink and red in the days leading up to February 14. We would painstakingly print our names in bold letters across the top ... hoping for a Valentine from at least a few friends in our classrooms.

As the years went by, and we realized that Valentine’s Day was not really about how many cheap cards were placed in a shoebox but in our ability to love and be loved.  When that realization took hold, the holiday either took on greater significance or was kicked to the corner of our heart.

Whether you are 16 or 86 ... here is my advice for you today:

If you are happily married ... wholeheartedly love your husband today. Live with no regrets. Treat him extra special. This doesn’t take a lot of money but it does take a lot of attention. Fix his favorite meal ... watch his favorite movie with him ... find a copy of “your song” and play it for him first thing in the morning. Get up early and make coffee for him ... leave him a note on the dashboard of the car ... choose not to nag, criticize or complain for 24 entire hours!

If you are still waiting for your prince charming ... allow yourself to find fulfillment in the heart of the One Who knows you best and loves you the most. Even after you are married, Jesus should still be your First Love! Wait well ... while you are in the days or years of waiting ... purpose in your heart to serve others and to become the best “you” that you can be. Go on missions’ trips! Teach Sunday School! Invite others over for dinner! Baby-sit for free! Prepare to run a marathon! Take an extra class at college or at church! Tell the pastor that you are available to serve your local church! Women who wait well seldom wait long for fulfillment because they find satisfaction not in being loved but in loving well!

If you have found yourself “suddenly single” due to rejection or divorce ... know that you serve a God Who will never leave you or forsake you. Do not build a wall around your broken heart but allow God to heal those broken places inside of you. Pray with other single women and spend time with a mentor. Join a Bible Study and allow your soul to flourish in the fertilization of the power of the Word of God. Reject bitterness and embrace His power and His joy.

If you are a widow ... it’s o.k. to enjoy a sweet memory or two ... but then choose to give to someone else today. Perhaps you could babysit for a young couple so they could go out to dinner. If you are not able to do that ... slip a young couple a $10 or $20 bill so they can go out and enjoy the days they have been given.

I don’t believe that celebrating love should merely be confined to Valentine’s Day ... but we should love others well all of the other 364 days of the year! God has placed us here at this time in history to reveal His fruits to the world in which we live.

“But now, faith, hope and love abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.” - ICorinthians 13:13.

I love each one of you! -Carol

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Carol McLeod
Carol says, “I am just a girl who is head over heels in love with Jesus ... passionately addicted to His Word ... and find all of the joy that I need in time spent in His presence." Carol is a Christmas-aholic, loves ACC basketball and the beach! Like all menopausal women, she is overly fond of chocolate and enjoys a good read. She doesn't like cleaning her house and is an expert in carry-out dinners. She hates to shop … loves to jog … and somehow finds time in her busy life to hang out with small children. She is the kind of woman that you could laugh with over lunch, cry with over disappointment and shout with over a victory! But … if you need her official bio … read on! Carol is an author and popular speaker at women's conferences and retreats, where she teaches the Word of God with great joy and enthusiasm. She also hosts highly successful Just Joy! outreaches. Carol encourages and empowers women with passionate and practical biblical messages mixed with her own special brand of hope and humor. Carol has written three books, "Holy Estrogen!", "The Rooms of a Woman's Heart" and "Defiant Joy!" which was released by a subsidiary of Thomas Nelson. Her teaching DVD, "The Rooms of a Woman's Heart", won the Telly Award, a prestigious industry award, for excellence in religious programming. Carol has also been featured on YouVersion (the smart phone Bible app) with several devotionals, including: "For the Journey Set Before Him", "Jolt of Joy", and "Joy to YOUR world", " Carol has a daily radio program, "Defiant Joy! Radio" which is available in several national markets including Youngsville PA, Warren PA, Buffalo NY, Roanoke VA, Norfolk VA, and Nashville TN.  A 1977 graduate of Oral Roberts University with a degree in Music and English, Carol has the distinction of being both the first Women's Chaplain and the first woman to speak at the university's Vespers.  Carol currently serves on the ORU Alumni Board as chaplain.  She is married to her college sweetheart and love of her life, Craig, who serves as senior pastor of Life Church, a church near Buffalo, NY.  Craig and Carol have been happily married for nearly 37 years and are the parents of five children and three delightful daughters-in-law. Craig and Carol are thrilled with the joy of being grandparents to five precious grandchildren! Carol has written three books, "Holy Estrogen!", "The Rooms of a Woman's Heart" and "Defiant Joy!" which was released by a subsidiary of Thomas Nelson. Her teaching DVD, "The Rooms of a Woman's Heart", won the Telly Award, a prestigious industry award, for excellence in religious programming. Carol has also been featured on YouVersion (the smart phone Bible app) with several devotionals, including: "For the Journey Set Before Him", "Jolt of Joy", and "Joy to YOUR world", " Carol has a daily radio program, "Defiant Joy! Radio" which is available in several national markets including Youngsville PA, Warren PA, Buffalo NY, Roanoke VA, Norfolk VA, and Nashville TN.  A 1977 graduate of Oral Roberts University with a degree in Music and English, Carol has the distinction of being both the first Women's Chaplain and the first woman to speak at the university's Vespers.  Carol currently serves on the ORU Alumni Board as chaplain.  She is married to her college sweetheart and love of her life, Craig, who serves as senior pastor of Life Church, a church near Buffalo, NY.  Craig and Carol have been happily married for nearly 37 years and are the parents of five children and three delightful daughters-in-law. Craig and Carol are thrilled with the joy of being grandparents to five precious grandchildren!
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