So it's that time of year again... Valentine's Day. Ugghh! Chocolates, roses, romance and diamonds. We are rarely reminded as blatantly as we are on Valentine's that we are utterly alone. It's commercialism at its best. We are taught from childhood that the size of your gift on Valentine's determines how much your spouse really loves you. Isn't that right ladies? Lol. Well pooey on that...is all I have to say ... well maybe I have a bit more to say. Lol.
Coined as the most romantic day of the year it goes without saying that it truly must be... lol. Many this Valentine's Day will spend it depressed and alone. Heart broken that they have no one special to share it with. Pull up your socks friends... it's only a day, and only a small 24 hour window out of a year filled with other even more memorable days.
According to the association for single people (is there really an association for this stuff??... Lol) 82 million people are unmarried as of 2010 in the USA. In Canada our 2006 census noted that since the first time since 1871 single family homes outnumbered wedded ones. That's 51.5% of Canadian homes considered to be single family. So if you think you are all alone this Valentine's... you aren't the only ones.
If you are looking, there are many sites out there offering tips to help you get through this holiday without too much bruising to that little heart of yours. Many tout tips to help you "survive" the day, and others will claim to help you speedily get over your ex by following a few simple steps. This article however, is not one of those sites.
Sure I can tell you to send flowers to your office from yourself, or should I say "secret admirer"? Take a spa day, a bubble bath, or pin your ex's photo to a dart board. Take your pick. They won't get to the root of the problem. When was the last time you perused the pages of 1 Corinthians 13? You are pining for love, but do you even really know what love is? Let's take a look.
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails" (v. 4-7).
Realize that Valentine's Day is just that... a day, just like any other. Just because you might be spending it without that special someone, it in no way diminishes who you are as a person or makes you any less desirable. You must first be comfortable in your own skin and accept yourself for who you are all by yourself. Learn to love yourself... it's one of the greatest loves of all. However, as long as you have the Love of your Heavenly Father, you will never be truly alone.
According to the association for single people (is there really an association for this stuff??... Lol) 82 million people are unmarried as of 2010 in the USA. In Canada our 2006 census noted that since the first time since 1871 single family homes outnumbered wedded ones. That's 51.5% of Canadian homes considered to be single family. So if you think you are all alone this Valentine's... you aren't the only ones.
If you are looking, there are many sites out there offering tips to help you get through this holiday without too much bruising to that little heart of yours. Many tout tips to help you "survive" the day, and others will claim to help you speedily get over your ex by following a few simple steps. This article however, is not one of those sites.
Sure I can tell you to send flowers to your office from yourself, or should I say "secret admirer"? Take a spa day, a bubble bath, or pin your ex's photo to a dart board. Take your pick. They won't get to the root of the problem. When was the last time you perused the pages of 1 Corinthians 13? You are pining for love, but do you even really know what love is? Let's take a look.
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails" (v. 4-7).
Wow, now that is a couple of verses packed with some punch! Read them again and let each of the words sink deep into your heart and soul. Love is from God, it is honest and pure. It can be about agape (sacrificial love), phileo (brotherly love) or eros (passionate love). Which ever one you are talking about, they all come from our Heavenly Father.
Verse 13 goes on to say that "and now these three remain; faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love".
Ephesians 4:2 "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient bearing with one another in love"... "husbands love your wives, just as Christ loved the church" (v. 5:25).
1 John 3:16-18 "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity in him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and truth."
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him shall have eternal life".
Are we capable of loving another as Christ has asked us to love? Do we love our neighbours as much as we love ourselves? Can we love our spouse as Christ loved the church that He died for her? Perhaps these are some of the questions we should be asking ourselves this Valentine's Day instead of "Dear God, why am I still feeling so heart broken and alone?"
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