Strawberries for my fruit representation of love probably come as no surprise. Around Valentine’s Day, I always see strawberries promoted in the grocery store. When cut in half, they often have the shape of hearts and they are red, a colour associated with love. It’s almost a given. My friends and I got together for “Galentines” this year and one of our activities was making and decorating chocolate covered strawberries. It was a delicious treat and a lot of fun to do together!

You may notice in the picture above that I am wearing a Strawberry Shortcake t-shirt. I did not go out and buy the shirt for this picture; it was already in my closet, a gift from my best friend who knows me so well. Strawberry Shortcake was one of my absolute favourites growing up. I still have some of the books and the early 2000’s episodes can be found in full on YouTube. Although maybe not the intention of the writers, she symbolized a lot of the spiritual fruits in her friendships if you ask me.

Hollywood love is often depicted as romantic and passionate, like a flame burning quick and bright. That sort of fire burns out, and that sort of love can be fleeting. The love I will talk about today is much deeper than that. A successful and loving marriage can often be identified by the friendship between partners, a bond built on love for one another. For me, Strawberry Shortcake is the animated embodiment of loving your friends. She shows persistence, kindness, encouragement and consideration. She’s sweet and pours herself into her friendships. She’s selfless and kind. As a kid, she taught me a lot and I saw her as my friend. Don’t you want her to be your friend?

Like a gardener tending to their strawberry plant, love takes nurturing. We have the ability to choose love or not, and making the loving choice can be hard sometimes. A friendship or relationship can feel unequal; love may not be reciprocated in the fullness that it is given. Your idea of showing someone love may not be their language of receiving it. Even though human love is a flawed experience, it is a beautiful choice to make.

With God, His love is unfailing, unwavering and unconditional. It’s strong and it’s true. It isn’t dependent on how you act or what He will get in return. He loves you. As a human this can be hard to fathom because our love can change with life circumstances, emotions, and selfish motivations. No matter what you are going through or have gone through, His love remains.

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.“

Romans 8:38-39

Read that verse again and rest in it. Change the “us” to “me” and make it personal.

Say this out loud, “Nothing in all creation will be able to separate me from the love of God”.