Happy Valentine's Day?

Most singles hate Valentine's day.

We call it a Hallmark holiday or Singles Awareness Day. We bemoan its entirely commercial nature, call it completely unnecessary, become conscientious objectors to the whole idea of Valentine's Day.

Not that singles are alone in this. Men in relationships who do not have the romantic bent will hate it because their partner will have an idea of Valentine's Day they can never live up to. Its a day of the year full of unmet expectation that often ends in quiet disappointment.

I have never had a problem with Valentine's Day. I think it is because I have never been in a relationship, I don't know what Valentine's Day is "supposed" to be. In some sense, I don't know what I'm "missing". I've played along, joked with friends, hated on the commercialized nature of it, agreed with exasperated men having to live up to expectations, nodded sagely with those who say, "We don't do Valentine's Day," and generally just floated along while never really having any sort of feeling to it.

It hit me more this year. As I listened and read and talked to people, I wondered, "Why don't I hate it?". I know myself. I am desperately thirsty. If there is any day in the year that I should be reminded of what I do not have, it is this one. And yet...

The name, Saint Valentine first appeared in a Catholic book of martyrs in the 1400's though a "feast of Saint Valentine" was said to be instituted even earlier in the 400's. The importance is not really who he is or what he did but the fact that he was found and remembered as a martyr. 

John 15:13 "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends."

1 John 3:16 "By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers."

You know it seems like every other day, we realize what love we have. However, this one day out of the year, we buy into the lie that culture has given us. We let stores and cards and people's stories ascribe to us our worth and define our identity like we never do around Christmas. Why have we let culture redefine this day? Because we want what the culture has for us. We want this redefined image of love and we forget what real love is.

Real love is what brought the Gospel to your ear. Someone loved you enough to face rejection and ridicule to give you the truth of Christ. Real love is what gave you the Bible in your language. Someone faced punishment and death to write and translate the Word and even more loved enough to distribute it. Real love is what is spread the Gospel to the far corners of the earth. Real love is what brought the Gospel out of the first century. Real love is what fueled the Gospel outside of Jerusalem. Real love is what kept Jesus on the cross, making sure that there even is a Gospel.

Love is the vehicle by which the Gospel has spread throughout time and space and into our hearts today. God gave of himself, all of himself for us. Men and women gave of themselves, all they had including their lives, for us. Unlike the culture that connects worth to chocolates and diamonds and dinners and teddy bears, countless people have told you that you are treasured by giving you their life so that you can hear the glorious truth of the one who loves you most. Don't buy into the lies because you are beautiful, you are treasured and you are worth every bit of that sacrifice because of the grace and the love of God himself.

So, honestly, have a Happy Valentine's day. It is worth celebrating.