The ultimate Valentine

Have you ever thought about how silly Valentine's Day really is?  It is a day for Card companies, flower shops, jewelry stores, and candy stores to guilt the innocent consumer into spending money on people.  When you buy gifts for those "special" people in your life you are doing it because you have been pressured into it by society.  It is not done because you truly love and care about the person, if it was then you would do it on any other day but February 14.  If you truly want to show someone that you care then buy them flowers or cards or take them to a nice dinner on any other day of the year.  On the days when it is least expected, then it becomes so much more exciting and personal.  

I like to call this day Valiumtine's Day because there is so much pressure surrounding it that most people need a valium to relax.  If you don't know, valium is used to treat anxiety disorders.  Have you ever felt anxiety over Valentine's Day?  There is so much pressure to buy the right gift and make this day "one she will never forget", as the jewelry commercial says. And for those that are single, they need it because they are being shunned and being made to feel anxious about finding "the one".  It is all just silly.

Valentine's Day excludes those people that are single, making them feel unloved and unappreciated.  It is a day that "celebrates" the couples and segregates the single person.  This is why so many people are depressed on Valentine's Day.  They are surrounded by all this talk of love and watch everyone else receive gifts on a day when they are forced to give them and therefore are looked upon with pity, thus making them feel insecure about their marital status. Is this truly the way we want to make people feel?  I know I don't.

If you are in a relationship and your special someone has made you feel loved and appreciated today, then I am truly happy for you.  Rejoice in the fact that you have people in your life that want to cherish you today.

If you are single and you are feeling left out of the loop, I want to encourage you to look around you and be grateful for every blessing that you have.  What we tend to forget is that especially on days like today, we do not need a man or a woman to make us feel loved and appreciated.  We have the ultimate Valentine.  Jesus is the only true Valentine that we will ever need.  While it may feel good to have someone bring us flowers or do something special for us now, that is the flesh talking and the enemy telling us that we are not cared for because we do not have someone there with us physically.  Those thoughts will only cripple us and make us feel emotionally insecure and vulnerable to hurt.  

Jesus loved us so much that He gave His life for us that we can live with Him for eternity.  Our lifetime is so short compared to the amount of time we will get to spend with Him if we are followers.  He will always love us, care for us, be with us.  The Bible says He will never leave us of forsake us.  So take comfort in the fact that you have the best Valentine anyone could ever ask for.  Because Jesus does not forget us.  He will not leave us wounded and hurting.  He will only love us and cherish us.  

So walk through this Valentine's Day with confidence that you have the greatest gift in the world, the love of Christ and the salvation that comes with knowing Him as our Lord and Savior.  Do not be a conformist and feel pressured to celebrate this day if you do not want to, instead celebrate the one's you love when they are least expecting it.  And to my single friends, take heart and know that you are truly loved by your family, friends, and most of all your Lord.