Valentines for the Soul: Can't Stop Thinking About You!

How precious it is, Lord, to realize that you are thinking about me constantly! I can’t even count how many times a day your thoughts turn toward me. And when I waken in the morning, you are still thinking of me!

—Psalm 139:17 TLB

Have you ever had such an enjoyable first date that you didn’t want it to end? The two of you seemed to connect on so many levels, and the chemistry was undeniable. You went to bed that night and tossed and turned. You couldn’t sleep because you kept replaying your conversation over and over again. The next morning you couldn’t stop thinking about your love interest. You could hardly wait to hear from them again.

That’s how God feels about you. About me. He never stops thinking about us. His thoughts toward us are precious and immeasurable. They are “thoughts of peace,” says the Lord, “and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).

Dear Lord, How precious and wonderful to consider that you cherish me constantly in your every thought! O God, your desires toward me are more than the grains of sand on every shore! When I awake each morning, you’re still with me (Psalm 139:17 TPT). Thank You, Lord.

Catching Zzz’s: What do you do when you can’t sleep? Count sheep?

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

—Philippians 4:8

A kid on Christmas Eve can hardly sleep. But it wasn’t even close to Christmas and I couldn’t sleep.

“Mom!” I called out.

She came to my bedside. “What’s the matter?”

“I can’t sleep.”

“Try thinking of good things,” she suggested.

“Like what?”

“Like Christmas and decorating the tree.”

So I imagined myself hanging the colorful bulbs on the branches, counting them as I went. I doubt that I reached 10 before I drifted off to sleep. After that night, I continued to use the decorating imagery to catch some zzz’s throughout my childhood years.

Later when I became a mom and heard that same plea from my then 3 year-old Emma, I told her what my mother had suggested and how I had thought of decorating the tree.

The next morning I asked her if she had thought of good things.