Psalm 13:5
But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me.
This blog is for all those who find themselves without a Valentine this year. I know the world has just suddenly burst into shades of red, pink and purple. The aroma of flowers wafting through the air, leaving its’ trail of perfume. The sight of chocolate in a heart shaped box brings excitement to the taste buds at a glance. There are cards galore and little surprises popping up everywhere. Some may be asked for their hand in marriage and still others celebrate anniversaries. Children are excited about their little valentines and about the party at school. AND then, there are the broken hearted, lonely, unattached people who seem to either be angry because it is Valentine’s Day or just terribly depressed. Some are so numb because it is there first holiday without a loved one who has passed on. Others still just want revenge on those who are happy today or are so blinded by jealously they can’t see straight.
No matter the circumstances, it is still going to be Valentine’s Day from 12:01 am and for the next 24 hours after that. You can’t avoid it. It will come every year you are alive. Sure you can hide under the covers or runaway to some secluded piece of land in the next town, but it will still be Valentine’s Day everywhere. So, now that we decided that…..let us examine and come to a conclusion on how to find some peace in this day. When my husband and I were together we had agreed that Valentine’s Day was not something we would really celebrate. Sure we got something for the kids and sometimes we would get each other cards, but for the most part we did not see the sense in this holiday, yet I watched the rest of the world fall in love every February 14th. And suddenly I felt all left out.
Even though we decided not to celebrate, I have to admit I would have liked some flowers at work or a big box of chocolates. I always said that Valentine’s Day was over rated and just another way for someone else to make money, but I think somewhere deep down inside I was the jealous one watching from afar as others got taken out for dinner and got beautiful roses and tasteful treats. Perhaps I was just like the rest of the world, looking for love in the superficial worldly view of love. Not the real stuff, but the kind of love that money bought. Momentary happiness and temporary acceptance. Why was I so interested in that? What I really needed was true, unbiased love from my husband but he was strung out on drugs most of the time and I never had his full undivided attention. I don’t know who I was fooling anyways, we never had any money for anything fancy on Valentine’s Day, but I wanted more than what I receiving.
Wow! I hit that on the head just now…..we always want more than we are receiving. We see what the world is offering everyone else and we want it too. Maybe all I needed was a hug or someone to stay up long enough to watch a movie, but I wanted a dozen yellow roses delivered to work instead because it would make it seem to the world that everything was alright. I wanted a mushy card to read in my lonely times that would remind me of what love used to be for me. I longed for what I no longer had a hold of and that is why I had to find a new approach to Valentine’s Day before I lost my mind completely and my broke into a million pieces. I needed an answer to my loneliness and the feeling of emptiness I was experiencing. I desired something substantial and long lasting, something that did not come in a red velvet box or come wrapped in a pretty bow and cellophane. My heart ached for something more, glad I found a solution.
John 3:16. For God so LOVED the world. Bam! Just like that, I had all I needed to make Valentine’s Day tolerable and it really began to change my mind set about this holiday forever. Instead of celebrating the world’s idea of love, I could share the love of Jesus with those who need it more than they needed a fancy Valentine. Jesus is with you all the time and He never leaves you or forsakes you. He gives you the desires of your heart and brings you new beauty each morning. He delivers flowers to the meadows everyday somewhere in the world. He orchestrates the birds to sing melodies. He heals the hurts we have inside and does not take it personally. He is always listening and finds time to spend with you. He does not hold a grudge against us if we don’t spend enough time with Him. He accepts us for who we are and gives us more than we deserve at times. What better Valentine is there?
So now when the Red Holiday comes around, I think about the blood of Jesus and how it covers it all. I no longer get jealous when someone gets this huge bouquet of flowers or a big stuffed animal; I actually get happy because it is making someone else smile. I appreciate the little things in life more. I am able to tell others to have a Happy Valentine’s Day and actually mean because my thoughts are higher now and my eyes are on Jesus and I know He loves me right where I am. I have all I need because I am secure in my relationship with the One True Valentine, Jesus. Won’t you let Him be your Valentine too?
Step Upon the Golden Road with Me! 
I quit my homework just to read your blog :p
I REALLY like the way your write, especially the intro becuase it sounds like a poem or an artistic and creative way of introducing viewers to what the blog is all about. I have a journal (word document) and I SOMETIMES do things that way. I also do it a lot in my story. I think it just adds more flavor to whatever you are reading becuase it makes things seem extra intelligent and entertaining.
When it comes to my level of experience with Valentines Day…..I don’t have any experience at all. I am 25 years old and I will be 26 in August. I have never had a date, been kissed or received any flowers, chocolates, stuffed animals, balloons, special dinner invitations–COMPLETE ZERO experience with guys!
When I was at Wal-Mart yesterday, the store was totally packed. Feminine merchandise was gone like Makeup, bras, shoes and other stuff. It was actually very frustrating and you watch all these people who you know would never act this way on a normal day or in a boring month with no major holiday. There were cute animals in a bundle cart for sale, I saw plenty of men with their women, women holding balloons–you name it. And there I was, a woman who was rolling her shopping cart just buying groceries to last her two weeks. A woman who has been single since she can remember. I was very surprised to notice that this did not bother me as it normally would. I guess I am just growing up and realizing that I have more important things to worry about. I never thought about dating much in High School, but once you graduate, jump into the real world, you get out of the drama queen teenage expectations and you start to be eager for other grown-up things. In my early 20s, Valentines Day bothered me A LOT. I did not like to see couples kissing, holding hands, cuddling, laughing, watching women hold teddy bears walking down the hall. I also did not like weddings. I went to two beautiful weddings and all i can think of was ‘when is it my turn?’ or ‘when can i pick out my wedding dress?’
It’s a bittersweet holiday because on one hand, many women are happy, being showered with materialistic things and on the other hand, the holiday is only a reminder that you are lonely for single people. So, for me, the holiday only told me
“Sorry, Darian, You don’t apply.”
I have had men come up to me, but they were never what I was looking for and it can be very frustrating becuase then you start to think ‘okay, am I only good for these types of men?’ I have a very specific preference that is hard to meet and I’m sure that’s part of the problem. When I was in high school, I knew I was never going to date around that time becuase I was so busy trying to make friends, but I always had this thought that fate was going to make up for it or correct my love life. I was going to meet somebody in college around my early 20s and that will be the end of it. I mean I TRULY believed that. But Nope, not the case. It was such a gullible thing to believe in and I fell into a huge world of disappointment and letdown.
The MOST frustrating part of my life is wondering if I want to be married or not. It’s like I can’t say yes but I can’t say no. I cannot figure out that part of myself. It’s like I don’t even know myself in that region. I swear that this is the only mysterious part of my life. I just can’t come to an agreement on anything relating to this topic. But it’s like I don’t want to wait too long becuase I want to meet a guy, I want to enjoy his youth, I want us to create memories, and I want us to have a LONG history together. I would really like it if I met someone before I enter 30 becuase I don’t want to have kids in an older age range where they would be at risk of autism or down syndrome.
Brenda, I can’t blame you for wanting to be apart of valentines day even though you and your husband agreed not to, but hey….you’re a woman!!! What woman doesn’t want to be showered with little cute things by the very man she loves? It gives you a tingly sensation when a man does that for you. Women are very affectionate and sensitive creatures. We want to feel loved, worthy, needed, and accepted. But I applaud you both for not taking it seriously becuase a lot of women are drooling over this holiday more than they should and I have come across numerous questions where women began to question if their husbands and boyfriends really love them, all becuase the man chose not to do anything on this ONE day out of the ENTIRE year. It’s ridiculous. You should want your partner to love you and do special things for you throughout the year and not just one day and maybe if that was the case, maybe Valentines Day wouldn’t mean anything to you in the first place becuase you receive love from your partner everyday or very often throughout the year.
To tell you the truth, I am not big on holidays whether it’s New Year, Independence Day, Thanksgiving or Christmas. These are days that man made up and Usually around holidays people hurt themselves or go to the extremes of getting what they want. Christmas is a perfect example. People cut through lanes and cause accidents, fight over stuff in stores. It’s crazy what a certain day will do to people.
However, the ONLY holiday that gets me really calm, IRONICALLY is Halloween. I LOVE October becuase that’s when horror movies run non-stop, candy is packed in stores, the whether is REALLY nice. I can do my homework or just relax while watching a juicy creepy movie with the window open and letting the cool air come in.
We can look at Chocolates, balloons, stuffed animals, flowers all we want, but God gave up his son and his son gave up his life brutally. What better Valentine gift could anyone give you? It’s hard to measure God’s love for us since we are only human with limits. Unfortunately I have not gotten to the part where I can say I Love God personally. I believe in God, I’ve accepted Jesus, I’ve experienced the things God has done for me, but I have not upgraded my relationship with him to that point yet. I certainly can say I respect him and that I fear him. My problem is that picking up a bible is HARD for me. The words a little, the paragraphs are endless and the contents are hard to understand with constant questions. Maybe that’s my problem. I truly envy Christians who say they love God so much. I would love to know how that feels, to carry love for a Creator 😦
And, my dear like the way you write as well! Thanks for the compliments someone once said I was a creative wordsmith:) I agree with you on so many things here that you have said. God is preparing the perfect man for you and you will know it the moment you get close. Perhaps He has you where you are to protect you for some reason.
I laugh about Walmart because it was a zoo in there yesterday. I was getting Valentines stuff only because we pick like 20 of our regular customers each year at McDonalds and we make Valentine bags for them.
As far as the Bible reading part, I must confess that is one of my weaknsses too. Friends of mine and I have started a fb page to help hold all of us accountable for reading. We only do a chapter a week and we have one verse we try to memorize a month. I am hoping this will jumpstart a better habit of regular reading!
Have a Happy Valentine’s Day Jesus Style!
thanks, Brenda… I am one of the broken… only have one VD I remember as a child… I had “nervous stomach” and while putting my cards in the decorated boxes on the chalk rail, I got sick & the nurse sent me home. That was the day it snowed in Pasadena TX… 2/14/1960, I was in 2nd grade… all the kids got out of school early because of the snow… but when they came to see if I could come out in the snow, my Mom said “No.”… Well, since then my relationship with Jesus has meant more to me than anything the world can ever offer! No more looking for the right partner here on earth… only Jesus… the one who never disappoints & a dark chocolate bar!!! God bless!!
Beautifully expressed, Brenda.
Thank You:)