Will you be my Valentine?
It’s February 14th. Valentine’s Day. A holiday that stirs up a mixture of emotions. For the exuberant child, there’s the anticipation of cookies, cupcakes, and exchanging of Valentine’s cards at the school party. Then there’s the mom who has stayed up late and arisen early to make sure her child has everything they need for the sugar-filled day. There’s the single woman who longs for love and wonders if, or when, it will be her day to cherish. There’s the couple who has much to celebrate… and the couple who dreads the day, wondering how they’ll muster the love that seems to have been beaten down by life.[bctt tweet="Remember: There’s a love greater than any Valentine."]No matter where you are on the roller coaster of Hallmark’s crescendo, I want to encourage you to remember the love that will never fail. Very few things are certain in this world. Every day, we watch people we don’t know hurt people we do know. We watch people we know hurt people we love. Then, perhaps hardest of all, we experience pain from the very people who love us. Life can leave you breathless and people in a fallen world will disappoint, but we must focus on the love we have received. Our hope is in the One love that will never fail. I’m encouraging each of us, as we walk through an earthly celebration, to remember that there’s a love greater than any Valentine. Here are a few reminders to carry with you:
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.Romans 5:8For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.Romans 8:38-39Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.1 Corinthians 13:7-8aNo man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.Joshua 1:5Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.Proverbs 3:3
Whether we spend Valentine’s evening receiving chocolates and flowers or curled up on the couch in sweats (my personal preference), may we be intentional to remember we’re loved with an eternal, perfect love and spend each day – regardless of Hallmark – giving that unending love away.