Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is a day for love. It is often remarked as a Hallmark Holiday with inference of it being a money maker for card and chocolate companies. If you don’t give a valentine card to your significant other, it culturally signifies that you don’t love that person. Men all over the world will be frantically running around to find cards, chocolates, flowers, teddy bears and more to not look like a cold and callous person to their lover. But I've always wondered how this can signify you love someone if you are being told to do these actions? Wouldn’t spontaneous gestures of this sort on a random day motivated simply because you love and appreciate someone show more of your love to them?

The holiday itself actually originates itself in church history. In AD496 Pope Gelasius I declared a religious feast to commemorate Saint Valentine. He was a priest or bishop that ministered to persecuted Christians in the Roman empire. Tradition teaches that he himself was martyred on February 14th AD269. It wasn’t until the 19th century in Victorian England that the holiday started taking the shape the way we see it today.

Yet despite all of this, it seems to me a holiday that is still lacking. With this holiday we acknowledge the existence and need to be loved, but don’t acknowledge the best one to get it from. We celebrate love amongst ourselves even though that is a love that will never fully satisfy. Even the best friends, spouses, church members and family that love us very much are not perfect. They are all sinners and as such they will disappoint and let us down. Nobody's love is perfect. Nobody's love is unconditional. Even those you are closest to will let you down. Or they will withhold their love from you if you did something inexcusable . This includes the love we express. The ones we love we love for a reason; we like them, they're nice, good looking, they're family etc.

The only one who could possibly love us regardless of who we are or what we have done is God Himself. We are capable of doing some pretty wicked things, even if by thought. We are clothed in sin and filth. Not only that but our sin is directly against God, “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.” (Psalm 51:4) We are His very enemies, “Whoever is not with me is against me…” (Matthew 12:30) So the fact that He expresses any love to us is beyond human ability to love. On top of this, His love is not mere words. He doesn’t just simply tell us He loves us but shows it. He showed it by sending His one and only Son down to earth to die for us, His enemies, for the wrong we have committed.

He took all of this action out of a love for you. His love is steadfast, eternal and unconditional. Being made in His image you are in need of love. You know this because you have sought it and given it. Why not turn to the one who will love you in a way that will fully satisfy your souls longing? Instead of just looking to a significant other this Valentines Day, celebrate Him and His love for you. Praise and worship His holy name for the faithfulness of His love. Express gratitude for His steadfast love.

“The best proof that He will never cease to love us lies in that He never began.”
Geerhardus Vos