V Day Musings & the Meaning of Love

Valentine's Day has come and gone,

but with all the controversy about whether or not it's worth celebrating,

I've been thinking a lot about the meaning of this day.

For years, V day was a big deal to me.

When I was single, it was a reminder of what I was missing out on.

After I got married, it was a time to celebrate with my husband...

and hope that just maybe he'd remember to buy me some flowers,

or take me on a date!

Flowers and chocolates and dates are wonderful,

if they don't become the gauge for true love.

Because let's face it,

sometimes we end up getting disappointed.

Husband comes home from work late and is too tired to go out for supper.

Or he completely forgot about Valentine's Day and those anticipated flowers never arrived!

Is that really a true test of love?

Because that's what the celebration is all about, right?

Love.

What exactly is that?

It's a selfless giving of oneself for the good of another,

a choice to place another above ourselves.

So, it's really not about me.

It's about pouring out my life into someone else.

It's the mother who labored long hours to make a special dinner for her family.

It's the father who got up early and came home tired, working to pay the bills.

It's the patient care for a sick child.

It's the faithful prayer for someone who is lost.

It's the encouraging word for a friend who is struggling.

And yes, sometimes it is a dozen red roses!

What matters isn't if or how we celebrate Valentine's Day;
what matters is that we love,

the sacrificial kind of love that pours life into those around us,

the Love that Christ poured into us.

"This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us,

and sent His Son to be an atoning sacrifice for our sins."

I John 4:10

And hey, if you got roses on top of that,

consider yourself really blessed!