What does Valentine’s Day mean to you? Is it a day you hate as a guy because your girl expects a present and you know it is probably going to cost you? Is it a day you hate as a girl or guy because this year you are single and all your friends are going out, leaving you all alone and feeling really down? Is it a day that you really look forward to because it is an opportunity to show love to the one you love?
What does Valentine’s Day mean to you on this wonderful day that is 14 February 2014?
The story of St Valentine is one I love and truly hold dear; it makes me glad and warm every time I hear it.
Valentine lived in the time of Emperor Nero, a guy with a real thing for persecuting Christians and the like i.e. throwing them to lions for sport, putting them in the line of angry bulls and basically defining that as entertainment. He decided marriage sucked, he outlawed it and passed a law saying anyone anywhere could sleep with whoever whenever, however. No need for commitment to raise kids or whatever else. Not only this, he jailed those who dared to hold marriage ceremonies.
It was into this environment that Valentine was a priest. He decided he would not obey Nero and that marriage is beautiful. He decided he would not let fear push him to desecrate God’s sacred union and He continued marrying couples, man and woman couples-as per original design underground. Even when He was discovered and thrown into jail, He continued to marry couples-in spite of the threat to His own life. He stood for love. Anyway, the man fell in love with the jailer’s daughter-who happened to be blind-and married her. As the story goes, with time his wife got her sight-exactly how, I do not know.
It is after the life and stand of this man that we get Valentine’s Day. His story never fails to bring a smile to my face; truly a heroic man who stood for love. It is a day to celebrate love; it is a day to enjoy. Love is a beautiful thing indeed, it is not meant to be a fight but it is something worth fighting for. It is for love that Christ allowed himself to be so humiliated, love for me and you-we are the desire of His heart, and we are loved. Indeed love is truly wonderful and amazing. But unfortunately, there is a lot of confusion concerning love in the world. The following is a message to all whom it may concern on this day that is so lovely.
Maybe this day does not bring you too much of a reason to celebrate
Maybe you are alone and your heart is aching for that special somebody whose heart will be yours and to whom you would want to give yourself
Maybe not only the above, but you also remember someone who said they loved you; they said they cared and would be there but just before this day, you got dumped-no explanation or reason, or even worse, on the very day itself and on your heart is a festering wound that each time valentine comes around, it seems someone is rubbing salt on it
Maybe your experience in relationships has left you with a lot of disillusion when it comes to love; the partners have come and gone, each one worse than the last and you no longer believe it is possible for love to exist
Maybe you got beaten by your partner or ex, like really physically beaten and no one knows, inside you are hurting and scared, hiding in your own way from the world around you because the one to whom you opened yourself wounded you
Maybe you have been pressured to have sex out of marriage, you let the standard you knew to be true go, you yielded only to be dumped-left exposed, feeling guilty and ashamed and yet you did not learn and it became a cycle. Maybe you did learn but the memory still stirs a lot of pain whenever love is mentioned or commemorated
Maybe you got pressured to send one of those kinds of pics-they call them selfies-you sent it to one you thought cared, one whom you thought had your best interests at heart only to watch in horror as it was shared on social network after social network, as it circulated amongst his/her friends and you wished the ground would just open up and swallow you whole.
Maybe you just have never experienced love freely, no one has ever genuinely said “I love you” and try as you might to do the same to others you just cannot
Maybe you were played, they said “I love you” and you thought you were the only one, only to later on realise to him/her you were just a game, just another figure but with never any attachment really. Waive wecash, or wema assignment, or wekunoratidza vanamomz or for the lack of a better term, waive booty call.And there you were engrossed, immersed and ever since your discovery, you recoiled and you have made a vow, never again will I trust a man/woman. Never again will I be vulnerable etc…
Maybe you tell yourself I am being practical, I am only protecting myself or something else to condone your behaviour and at the same time pacify your conscience
Maybe when you were younger, someone touched you inappropriately, maybe you were exploited when you were too young to know better. You lost your innocence before you ever knew you had it.
Maybe even worse, you were drugged, you were weak and it was someone you knew and they forced themselves on you. They violated you and from that moment you have never felt safe around the opposite sex, you just cannot bring yourself to try again. Maybe it was physical, it was either you agree or you die and now the worst place to be is in your own skin
Maybe it is less graphic but painful nevertheless love that was not requited. You would call, you would buy presents, you would be there but it was just never enough. It was always short and even now, you doubt and wonder-will I be enough for a man/woman
Whatever it is, it is something that every time a reason to celebrate man-woman love comes up, you cringe and retreat and run away
I have good news for you, His name is Jesus and He has a Valentine’s gift especially for you
If you know you have sinned and you have wronged and you feel your guilt is a gulf between you and Him, may I remind you that He came to seek and save the lost-He is not to count your sins against you, but to wipe them away in His blood and reconcile you to Himself.He is not here to pass a sentence to you for what you did but He has a new beginning for you were the past is forgotten.
If your heart aches because of what has been done to you, I would first just like to say to you I am sorry because of what has been done to you. My Jesus is here for the broken-hearted, He is here to take your pain away and to end the tears you so readily cry in secret. He loves you, He cherishes you. If you feel your heart is in pieces, do not feel weak or evil-just put them now into the hands of Jesus-just say Lord I surrender this heart to you In Jesus name-and He will come in right now to take away your pain.Whatever the pain you carry, the Lord Jesus is here today, He is right there were you are with you and He is ready to heal-just let Him, allow Him in and accept what He says to do-your heart will be lighter and the pain will end.
So you let Him in and allow Him to heal so that you can celebrate
Allow Him in and let this be the start of Valentine’s Day meaning something good on your calendar. Let it now be a reminder of the power of love, its conviction and strength-its dedication and willingness to serve.Let Him in and let us celebrate this day set aside for love and its free expression.
For those with that special somebody; Treat them right, cherish them and treasure them. Be there for them, go that extra mile to let them know that you really care-ignore the lies that say it weakness to show how you feel for there is no greater cowardice than to deny oneself the expression of who they truly are on the inside for the sake of the opinion of another. Do not be pressured to go beyond what you know is right. Celebrate the love you share, enjoy it and its fruit (In the proper context for you where you are of course.) Praise the Lord Jesus and thank Him for the gift that He has given you that is him/her.
And for those who just want that special someone to spend the day with remember-The book of proverbs declares “The Lord can give an understanding wife.” This applies to husbands as well. (Boyfriends and girlfriends as well-however, this I believe is meant to be a stepping stone for marriage and not an end in itself hence I did not mention it separately.) In the book of Ruth, Orpah leaves Naomi when Naomi highlights the fact that she can no longer provide a husband. Ruth decides to follow God alone, and guess what, she gets Boaz, one of the most eligible bachelors in time. In the case of Rebekah for Isaac, God answers a silent prayer just moments after it is sent.
And in the book Song of Songs, God describes to you what love can look like-what your love life can look like-passionate, joyous and mutually satisfying-your own fountain from which you can drink and be glad.
So you too can celebrate this day. Celebrate it for what God has prepared for you, for what it has historically stood for. Celebrate for the fact that God has made available to you today. Celebrate what love stands for what it truly is and realise love is amazing, it really is.
Praise God for your Valentine and for that day dedicated to this love
Thank God for Valentine’s Day.
Happy Valentine’s Day
Pingback: Happy Valentine’s Day – PRISONER OF HOPE