Christmas was hardly over when the stores began loading up their shelves with Valentine's Day paraphernalia—chocolates, perfume, bows and, of course, hearts. Millions of hearts. Red hearts. Pink hearts. Chocolate hearts. Paper hearts. Hearts with lace. Hearts with bows. And, my favourite, heart-shaped boxes of chocolates. I love opening those heart-shaped boxes and discovering what is inside. I love the great variety of delicious delectables that tease the tummy and please the palate. At the end of the day there is never one sugary treat left; every one is appreciated with a smile and an mmmh.

The Salvation Army is like a box of Valentine chocolates; it's heart-shaped and filled with a variety of good things. Its heart shape comes from the fact that what it does is motivated by the love of God. In fact, our mission statement says the Army exists “to share the love of Jesus Christ.” So it is good for us to ask ourselves on a regular basis what kind of shape we are in.

If we were square and rigid with sharp corners and clearly defined geometry, we would be an organization that is inflexible, strict and austere. We wouldn't tolerate those who are different. We would discourage creativity. We would punish those who coloured outside the lines. We would silence those who wanted to do things differently. And every chocolate in the box would look the same. How boring that would be; and how ineffective our ministry.

If we were round, like a ball, we would not fit into very many places. Spheres are hard to define. They are difficult to measure. And when you put things in them there is usually a lot of wasted space. If our organization were spherical, it would be bounced around “by every wind of teaching” (see Ephesians 4:14). It would not be able to remain stable and stand its ground when the world around it turns upside down. It would be an organization that would be pushed around by the norms of society. And every chocolate in the sphere would turn to mush and all taste the same. Who could savour such a ministry?

But we are neither square nor round. We are heart-shaped, incorporating both curves and straight lines. For this reason there should be a place for everyone. The strict, go-by-the-book people who like rules and regulations will feel at home along the straight edges. They fit in best in those ministries that are well defined, that have stringent guidelines and that allow them to mark their progress with statistics and graphs. The creative, throw-out-the-rulebook people whose theme song is Don't Fence Me In will feel at home along the curves of our heart-shaped organization. They fit in best in those ministries that are not well defined, that require out-of-the-box thinking, and whose success cannot be measured by numbers.

The Salvation Army truly is the world's Valentine box. We present to the general public a variety of ministries unequalled in any other Christian organization. Call me biased, but first and foremost is our corps ministry, our community churches. Perhaps it's just my particular taste buds, but I think the bittersweet flavour of the corps is our tastiest treat. But some will prefer the community and family services and others the correctional and justice services. Some will appreciate the inner-city ministries best—their emergency response vehicles, soup vans, shelters for the homeless and addictions and rehabilitation centres. Some love the children and youth ministries, summer camps, music and recreation programs. I could go on and on, listing the great variety of ministries in our heart-shaped organization.

If the box is the organization, and the chocolates are the ministries, then the officers, soldiers, employees and volunteers are the filling. As variety defines the ministries, so also does it define those who minister. We are not all alike. Some of us are soft and sweet like caramel; we go with the flow and everybody likes us. Some of us are hard like a cashew; we are nuts and tough to swallow. Some of us are like nougat; you don't know what you're getting until you bite into us, and then it takes some chewing to bring out the flavour.

The general public loves this Valentine box that comes to them all year round. They like the great variety of ministries the Army offers. It's up to us who are in the box to develop a taste for one another's ministries and to make room for even more.

Major Fred Ash is the corps officer at Burlington Community Church, Ont.