Chocolate! What an amazing thing that is. It’s soft and sweet, it’s always there when you need it, and it’s yours unconditionally. I guess it’s so popular during the Valentine’s season because it reminds us of what real love should be like: unconditional.

Chocolate and love are so closely knit in our minds that over thirty six million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate will be sold this Valentine’s season. That’s approximately one billion dollars spent on the magic love food. I heard it said once, "Forget love, I’d rather fall in chocolate."

As much as we love chocolate, the truth is we can live without it. Oh, we might not like it but our lives will go on without the stuff that melts in your mouth. (Although, if some of you tried to live without it you would probably go through serious withdrawal and get the shakes.)

What we can’t live without is love. God designed each and every one of us with a great capacity for love. In fact, we will spend the rest Advertisement

[ Berry-Bell and Hall Mortuary ] of our lives pursuing it, perfecting it and working hard to show it to those closest to us. It’s in our God given design… love is at the center of everyone’s life.

What you might not know is that love is also at the center of God’s world too. The Bible says, "God is love." (1 John 4:16) It’s entirely part of who he is. Not only is God love but he created you to be the focus of his love. Listen to this, "Long before he (God) laid down the earth’s foundation, he had us in mind, and settled on us as the focus of his love…" (Ephesians 1:4 MSG)

I know it might seem a little hard to wrap our minds around but God created us to love us. He demonstrates this love by giving us life, through creation, and most importantly by sending his son Jesus to die on the cross for us and pay a price we could never pay. I would say that’s a little bit more impressive than a box of chocolates.