Valentine's Day......A New Approach

Every year Valentine's Day is on February 14th.  Valentine's Day evolved from pagan Roman mythology. It was then changed to a religious holiday it has now morphed into Valentines Day as we know it: a day to celebrate love or commercialism at it's best, depending on who you ask.

Now don't get me wrong, I enjoy celebrating love as much as the next person.  Although I do take a bit of (well a lot actually) personal issue with getting caught up in the fact that I may or may not have a special someone to reciprocate these feelings of 'love' with only one day a year.  And somehow if I don',t then this makes me unlovable.  If I am honest here, often on Valentine's day someone is set-up for failure and someone is doomed for disappointment both based on often unattainable expectations.  Even though I don't know what your relationship status is or whether you are in a love valley or love peak during this particular season of your life.  For me, for far to long, Valentine's day has gotten lost in translation.

Instead of taking a totally critical, cynical view, this is how I have decided to celebrate February 14th, 2013.  We are called to love one another as we love ourselves, which is a whole other blog for another day.  This year I am taking on a whole new, brave approach.

It came to me during my morning devotional time:

Then [Ezra] told them, "Go your way, eat the fat, 

drink the sweet drink, and send portions 

 to him for whom nothing is prepared; 

 for this day is holy to our Lord. 

  And do not be grieved and depressed, 

                                        for the joy of the LORD

                                              is your strength and stronghold."

                                                 Nehemiah 8:10

Did you catch that?  ....and send portions for him whom nothing is prepared; I've decided wouldn't it be great to share love by paying it forward...... to the car behind me if I'm in a drive-thru line, to let someone go ahead of me at the check-out lane, to actually look a stranger in the eye with a smile and sincerely say hello.  I've got some cool sticky notes I'm going to put on a strangers car.  I'm taking some extra time and pray for my husband, my kids, family and friends.

I think I might actually begin to look forward to February 14th!