Secret Admirer by Kristie M. Ledford
Oh my! Who could it be? Who could have sent this wonderful gift? Okay ladies and gentlemen, admit it….. haven’t all of us, at one time wanted a secret admirer? I would like to share this little story about my daughter’s secret admirer on Valentine’s Day. First, let me state this for the record; I do not advocate nor agree with 3rd graders having boyfriend/girlfriend relationships. The story is cute and God relayed a biblical message via this event. So, let us get on with the story….
On February 14, 2008, Valentine’s Day my daughter received an anonymous gift from her “secret admirer.” The gift was a small red, very soft, fuzzy bag. The bag had a heart on the front with the letters, LOVE written in white. As my daughter began opening the bag she pulled out a soft, brown teddy bear then, a small, scalloped shaped box. Inside the box was a heart shaped ruby and diamond ring (costume jewelry).
Well, my daughter was smiling from ear to ear saying, “Mommy, I can’t believe this! I wonder who did this for me.” I am just repeating, “Oh my goodness honey, I don’t know.” She continued to pull items out the bag including a heart cut-out which had clues written in green crayon. My daughter figured out who her secret admirer was! Then, she pulled out red heart cut-outs with glitter on them which, had carefully been taped together in order to form a “chain” of hearts.
I simply couldn’t believe this little 9 year-old boy had taken the time and money to do this. You know, little 9 year-old boys run around in the woods and play soccer…..they don’t sit and make cut-out hearts just for fun. His effort and pursuit were quite overwhelming. Of course, I had to talk with my little girl explaining that gifts are wonderful but….God searches the heart. Then, she replied, “Oh, I know mommy and he goes to church.” Anyway, let’s just say we have the understanding that, at this age, it is only friends.
The next morning, as I was preparing for our day, this secret admirer event just kept replaying in my mind. My first emotional response was, “Wow, I never had anyone go to the great lengths this 9 year old child did.” I was about to find out just how wrong I was! I kept curling my hair and God began to whisper into my heart and mind.
He began questioning me, “Kristie, do you not remember how long I pursued you….yet, you turned away? Do you remember how many times I asked you, ‘Kristie, if you were to die today, would you go to Heaven or Hell?’ or, do you remember how I would ask, ‘If the world ended right now and Jesus returned, standing before you, in the condition you are in, what would you say to him?’
He proceeded to say, “Look around at my beautiful creation which has my signature all over it, don’t you enjoy my creation each day? How about the air you breathe? What about the time my hand saved you from the bullet? How about the car wreck? Who was that protecting you, pursuing you, admiring you? It was me, your Heavenly Father!”
Oh yes, I certainly do remember….when I was at my worst and felt so unloved you answered my cries for help. Jesus met me where I was. He accepted my profession of faith in Him and forgave me of my sins. Jesus gave me a new life in Him. I have never been the same since that wonderful night. God whispered in my ear, “We, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit have been your secret admirers. We wanted you in our family….so, we pursued you. We wanted you to spend eternity with us……so, Jesus died for you. We wanted you to know and understand us….so, we revealed ourselves to you and inspired men to write Our Holy words in the bible.”
At that moment, I felt quite foolish for even thinking, “I never had anyone go to the great lengths this 9 year old child did.” Someone did go to even GREATER lengths for me. I reflected in my mind upon Psalm 139:1-10 and just smiled knowing how loved I am by God and the Blessed Trinity. Not only am I loved but they take great time to know me.
Please hear what I am saying…..no flesh of man or woman can ever replace this love and admiration which comes from God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. This month, we celebrate Easter. We have this love because of the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf. No other gods, no other persons, no other organizations, no religious leaders have died for us and risen from the dead. So, why should you give your heart, your admiration, your devotion and your eternity to any other?
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.. Ro. 5:6-8 NIV
That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Ro. 10:9-10 NIV