Half Priced Candy Full Priced Love

​Depending on the person, February 14th can represent many different things. Some may celebrate February 14th as “Singles Awareness Day.” Others celebrate “Galentines Day” with inspiration from Leslie Knope and Parks and Recreation. Others see Valentine’s Day as a day to celebrate romance with their significant other. No matter how you celebrate (or choose to ignore) February 14th, the day has a certain association with love. Now that we’ve gotten past Valentine’s Day we can celebrate love and half priced chocolate without the pressure of a holiday. 

We are lucky (whether we always remember it) that love does not have to be romantic. Love does not have to come from having a significant other. We can love our friends, our coworkers, our children, our pets. Celebrating a day of love is not limited to having a romantic partner. And love is not best represented by flowers or chocolate or fancy dinners. Love is much, much bigger than these things. Love is more challenging than celebrating a date on a calendar. 

Instead of choosing to celebrate February 14th in a narrow point of view, let us think of ways that we can show love to the people in our lives on a daily basis. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 is repeated so often that it becomes easy to skim over the truth in these verses: 

Love is patient, love is kind. 

It does not envy 
It does not boast 
It is not proud 
It does not dishonor others 
It is not self-seeking 
It is not easily angered 
It keeps no record of wrongs 
It does not delight in evil 
It rejoices in the truth 

Love protects 
Love trusts 
Love hopes 
Love perseveres 
Love never fails. 

May we remember to love others in this way. May we remember to ask God to help us see love the way that he sees love. God loves us this February 14th, regardless of what we did on February 13th or how we acted on February 12th. Let us rejoice in a Father who loves us so well! We are truly and deeply loved.