First, I would just like to re-establish Valentines Day's point of origin. In Rome, in the day when Christians were persecuted for their belief, there was a man named Valentine. He was a Christian who would perform marriage ceremonies...until the emperor wanted them to be stopped so he could have more soldiers for his army that wouldn't be tied down by a wife and family. Needless to say, Valentine and the other Christians were just a tad miffed at this. So they kept performing the ceremonies and spreading the gospel of Christ. Then Valentine was caught and arrested by the Roman soldiers. He was offered a deal. Either deny Christ and be set free, or sit in jail until he would be killed. You've probably guessed by now that he didn't deny Christ. But while he was in jail he struck up a friendship with the jailer's blind daughter who brought his meals to him. He would tell her that Jesus loved her even though she was blind and a social outcast. The pain of so much ridicule made it difficult to break through to her, but he did. She finally came to understand the love that Jesus gives because Valentine had bothered to share it with her. Then one day, she asked him, "If Jesus loves me so much, why would He cause me to be blind?" No one can know what Jesus' motives are when He allows this to happen to someone. That's probably what he told her, and she still believed that Jesus loved her more than life. Because of her faith, she was healed. The jailer was very happy and grateful. He did everything in his power to try and free Valentine. But he was sentenced to death. Valentine is one of the many martyrs that have died for the cause of Christ, and we as a culture have forgotten him and his story. I personally don't like Valentine's Day and what we have turned it into, but I will definitely celebrate the life and death of one such as Valentine because he had the guts to stand before a lion or a gladiator, or however he was executed, and still gladly die for someone he'd never physically seen.
So what's the big deal about Valentines Day? Why do we have a specific day that is set aside to show love? Shouldn't we do that every day? Why do women make such a big deal of it? Probably because they like to be remembered on days besides their birthday because, as we all know, men are idiots and have brain damage due to testosterone (see, mom, I WAS paying attention to your sermon. I knew that anyway, but still). Maybe one day I'll understand it. But for now, as I don't have any reason to celebrate it, I fail to see why it's such a big deal. Being a single person of the female gender, I know that it's nice to know that someone takes an interest in you and isn't afraid to admit it. How many country "love" songs are there where the guy has once again been an idiot, and forgotten something important. Yeah, I know, play it backwards and he gets the girl back as well as his dog, his house, and he's perfectly sober. I suppose it all boils down to love.
But why is love so important? It's the most painful thing in the world, as well as the most powerful. It's the reason behind every crime ever committed. The deepest hate is rooted in the deepest love. When love is perverted, it perverts everything else around it. Love gets twisted and we get confused between what we think is love and what love really is. Love is what makes a man give up everything just to be with the person who so moves his soul that he absolutely can't live without her. And that's what God did. He didn't die just to save us from our sins. He died because He knew that if He didn't, He couldn't spend eternity with us. He knew that He would have to condemn us to an eternity of loneliness when we could've been with Him. That's what drove Him to the cross and kept Him there. That is true love. Valentines Day was established so we could remember the ones we love. I guess it doesn't have to be just between two people who love each other. If it was, you wouldn't get any in school, or from your mom.
Why do you think people can be the poorest people on the face of the earth, and still be the happiest at the same time? It's because their love is so strong, it keeps them together, and they fight things back-to-back so nothing can destroy them from behind. Marriage is exactly that. Their relationship should be founded God, and trust in Him, and in each other. If you haven't got trust, you haven't got anything.
But anyway, Valentines Day. It's all about love. So why should it be limited to your significant other? God IS love. So, by definition, it should be about God. Makes you think about how distorted Satan makes things, doesn't it? I could write pages and pages about what love is, but, I would rather not. True, 100%, honest-to-goodness love, is a miracle from God. And you know what? So was Jesus. And those are my thoughts about Valentines Day. Not all of them, but still, I think it's pretty good.
