Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is almost here!

If you are like most people, you have one of two opinions about this holiday - either you LOVE IT or you HATE IT.

You either love Valentine's Day because you have someone in your life with which to share this holiday with. This could be parents, bf/gf, best friends, whatever. But regardless, you find this holiday awesome. It could be that you simply love candy.

Or, you hate Valentine's Day, or "Single Awareness Day," as you may call it. Valentine's Day is just another day that reminds you that you have no bf/gf. Perhaps all your friends have someone special to celebrate with, but you do not. For you, its a really tough day.

Whether you are in the first camp or the second camp, I want you to think about a new reason to celebrate Valentine's Day. Sure this holiday about showing your love to others , and there is nothing wrong with that. But, I think that we need to focus on V-Day being about something much more significant - God.

I always like to think about Valentine's Day as a day for me to truly appreciate the love around me - from my parents, my brothers and sisters, my friends, my husband, etc. But mostly, I like to focus on the love that God gives me.

Most people get that God loves them. But, I don't think we get HOW MUCH God loves us. So, I like to encourage others to spend the 14th of Valentine's Day trying to recognize all the ways that God shows his love for us. I walk around all day waiting to see it.

This isn't an uncommon thing to do on Valentine's Day, you know. Most people look for signs of love all day. For example, you see flowers delivered and (especially if you are a girl) you wonder if they are for you. Perhaps you see a bright red envelope in your mail box. You quickly check to see if its for you. Most people tend to look for signs of affection on Valentine's Day.

So, why not look for signs of affection from God? They are much more common than the random vase of flowers or box of candy. They are all around us. All we have to do is open our eyes! It could be a particularly beautiful sunset or a comment on your myspace from an old friend. It could be something out of the ordinary that happens or your favorite food for dinner than night.

Whatever it is - I hope this Valentine's Day you will open your eyes to the love that God wants to share with you.