Everlasting Love

February hits after the holidays are completed and our minds head straight to. . . .Valentine's day.

Still Winter, and all is gray and most places still have dead leaves scattered around. A gray time where one could feel the sting of cupid's arrow most strongly!

If you ask 10 people what Valentine's day means to them, you will most likely get 10 different answers.

For my love-my husband Ben, he has always absolutely hated Valentine's day. He has always said that he loves me every single day and that only 1 day to celebrate our love is not good enough. The commercialization of Valentine's day can be worse than Christmas.

For me Valentine's day always made me feel, well stupid. I was the youngest in a household of all girls and had a grandmother who made us matching dresses. After I outgrew one dress I got another just like it and then another. One year my grandmother made us adorable dresses with pink and red Valentine hearts all over it. Thinking back, they were really cute dresses. I was allowed to wear mine to school for our Valentine party in 4th grade. We were glueing and making our own Valentine's during class, when I put the Elmer's glue between my legs to hold since I needed an extra hand while I glued on two hearts that were particularly not sticking and needed some extra weight on them. I was so focused on glueing the hearts that I forgot about the glue in my lap. Well I squeezed as I leaned over to show a friend my newly glued on hearts- and found myself with a lap full of glue. My dress was ruined and I felt so awful. It was quite embarrassing to me and at the time I never wanted to go back to school! And of course this story was repeated over and over during my growing up, every Valentine's day.

Our boys think of Valentine's day- as Veggie Tales. Being a homeschool family I would let the boys have a Veggie Tales marathon on Valentines day and eat candy, and their favorite part was NO school work!

A quick google on the history of Valentine's day shows me-

The Valentine's day story was based on a Catholic priest named Valentine. The emperor outlawed marriage for young men because he believed they were better soldiers without wives or families.

Valentine defied the emperor by secretly performing weddings for young lovers.

He was imprisoned and tortured for his actions and was beheaded on February 14.

In the 1500's formal love messages and valentines appeared for the first time and by the 1700's commercially printed valentine's were made. In the United States the first commercial valentine's were printed in the early 1800's.

Traditional gifts included candy and flowers given to your lover.

On my first Valentine's day with my husband, then fiance- he showed up at my house with a box of chocolates, a dozen red roses and a cute stuffed polar bear which I named Polly. The chocolates didn't last the night and the flowers quickly wilted- but I still have Polly-(thus the picture for this blog). Since I didn't want to have tons of stuffed animals around over the years I told my Ben to give me Polly every year and he has. Polly looks pretty good for being now 33 years!

After February comes around and all turn to Valentine's day. Stores turn pink and red with hearts, cakes, candies, balloons and decorations everywhere you look. Going on line you see the “love experts” and “matchmakers” all trying to help by giving you tips on how to find the perfect man or the perfect woman. The best places to dine and where to go to romance your love. The best gifts.

For the single this just puts a spotlight on them and magnifies their insecurities and or loneliness 1000%. As a young single woman I felt damaged and more lonely than ever before during Valentine's craziness.

For singles, it is a reminder of their aloneness and they feel it just puts a giant spotlight right on them. Some have not had a special person tell them those three words which they have longed to hear their entire life- 'I love you'. They have no one special to be there, to watch them shine, when they achieve something special or do something big. Oftentimes their hearts feel quite empty and fake smiles form way too easily upon their lips. They feel that it is not just being lonely, but that there is no place for me, I don't really fit in anywhere.

For some their hearts are still very raw over the loss of a love or regretting one that they let go.Valentine's day is a reminder of old hurts and bad feelings and horrible memories.

Missing those loves who we will never see again in this life, who are gone forever and who we miss every single day, but Valentine's day just makes that hurt bubble to the surface and hurt a little more.

I go to Jesus first as always and He tells me so much about love! And it has absolutely nothing to do with Valentine's day.

Jeremiah 31:3 I have loved you with an everlasting love

John 15:9-17 Jesus love and joy for us

1 Corinthians 13- His greatest gift is love

Colossians 3:14-17 let His peace rule in your hearts

1 Peter 4:7-11- love one another deeply

1 John 4:18-19- perfect love casts out fear

This Valentine's day, my prayer is for you to not just “get through” it. Dear ones, I pray you heal. Heal from old hurts and bad memories. That you learn from regrets and move on. That your hearts are comforted for the loss you grieve.

For those singles who are feeling the sting-may you realize that One has told you those 3 words- and He died so He could make sure that you knew. He sees every single thing that you do, He sees you shine and He celebrates with you. We are never alone, Jesus is always with us celebrating our greatest victories and mourning with us during our greatest sorrows.

I think this year I want to spend this day and every day, just loving as love is way way too big a gift for only 1 day of the year.

May all feel the great depth of Jesus' love! Jesus' everlasting love!

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