Love is...

So it’s nearing THAT time of year again. When the card aisle in the supermarket becomes awash with bold splashes of red and pink fighting for your undivided attention, claiming superiority over all other colours. ‘The Greatest Love Songs of all Time’ is played in stores across the country on repeat, champagne bottles are moved to the entrance of the shops and men can be spotted panic buying red roses and chocolates on Friday 13^th, with a somewhat deranged look in their eye.  

Valentine’s Day is rearing its head again and, as ever, I am left with the feeling that somehow commercialism has stolen the show once more. The very fact that Christmas cards were immediately replaced with Valentine’s Day cards on the 27^th December did little to quell this feeling. Now, I have nothing against the premise of this day. I think it is absolutely important to acknowledge love in our lives and will be enjoying a rather lovely dinner date with hubby on the 14^th. However, I also think it is essential that love is acknowledged, celebrated and shared every day. 

For me, love is rolling out of bed first to make the cups of morning tea. It’s in the quick peck on the cheek before he goes to work and the encouraging text at the beginning of a tricky day. It’s taking the time to pray for him during that meeting he’s been preparing for all week. It’s leaving that pile of marking for tomorrow in order to spend more time with him tonight. It’s the lift home from the station on a cold and icy winter’s evening. It’s saying ‘thank you’ when he sorts the dinner and lets you sit down for a few minutes at the end of the day. 

Love is so much more than the slushy words in a Valentine’s Day card. The cards, roses and chocolates are all superficial and meaningless unless you act on your love each and every day; actions speak louder than words after all. The cards and roses should supplement an action-based love which is as real on a rainy Monday morning as it is on the evening of Saturday 14^th.

As a teenager, I championed WWJD wrist bands. The phrase ‘What Would Jesus Do’ helped me to focus on my own attitude in life and to advise me on the best way to react to situations, as well as how to communicate with people. 

I wonder what Jesus would think about Valentine’s Day? 

Personally, I think he would be pleased with the sentiment, but would probably be quick to remember love in the unromantic sense of the word  too - love displayed as patience, kindness, generosity and modesty. He would point to the Father’s unconditional, immeasurable love for each and every one of us and would encourage us to love one another with a selfless love. 

Whatever your plans for this Valentine’s Day, whether with a special someone or not, I pray that you will experience personally the unparalleled love of Christ, which is beyond our understanding or comprehension and which stays with us every single day.

¹⁴ So I bow in prayer before the Father ¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven and on earth gets its true name. ¹⁶ I ask the Father in his great glory to give you the power to be strong inwardly through his Spirit. ¹⁷ I pray that Christ will live in your hearts by faith and that your life will be strong in love and be built on love. ¹⁸ And I pray that you and all God’s holy people will have the power to understand the greatness of Christ’s love—how wide and how long and how high and how deep that love is. ¹⁹ Christ’s love is greater than anyone can ever know, but I pray that you will be able to know that love. Then you can be filled with the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:14-19)