Here it is, today is the day that Hallmark has been planning for since last February 14th. According to a poll CNN conducted last year, the average person spent almost $131 on the holiday. “224 million roses were grown just to be murdered to make someone’s house smell good for a few days, and about 6,000,000 marriage proposals are expected or are being planned”. You can read the entire article here: http://fw.to/mthuM5I. It’s interesting that we invest so much in one day of emotional expression, when in fact love is so much more. This morning Mary and I woke up to the dawn of our 14th Valentine’s day together – Ironic right? I will just come out and tell you, I despise this “holiday”. I take the position that if you don’t do something, regardless of how many other times during the year you do express your devotion to your significant other, you end up in the dog house. Luckily, my wife is the practical sort of woman. She values thoughtfulness over the amount spent. This year, as opposed to the last few, I thought I would splurge a little and take both of my daughters and my wife out for breakfast. I thought to myself, “here is an opportunity for my girls to see how a man should treat the woman he loves, and my wife will get a break from being a constant caretaker and nurturer”, win-win right? WRONG, we live in a very small town, and as both of us remarked later – “the whole town is here”. In addition to that, one child was in ADD grabby-mcsnatch mode at the salad bar, and needed to pee every 2 minutes. I was ill because of the long lines at the Omelet bar, and Mary, bless her heart just wanted some French Toast fully cooked and some sausage that wasn’t burnt. It was one of those mornings that despite all we tried to do to make it special, it just fell flat. Here’s the thing, I still love her and the girls. A bad experience doesn’t make for a deal breaker in my feelings towards her. See if you look hard enough, there is a lesson in just about every opportunity we are presented with. Today’s lesson – love even when everything is going wrong. That includes burnt bacon, and over cooked omelets. We tend to focus on this day, on the new romances, or taking the existing courtship to the next level (married people – courting should never stop even after we are married, take notes). We don’t plan for the marathon, and that’s why some of us end up with stomach cramps and a bad taste in our mouths just a short jaunt into the run. Love has no conditions with it, and in fact is one of those things much like life that is meant to be eternal. Sure there are things we do to each other, that become “deal” breakers and may cause divorce down the road, but ask yourself – have you really stopped caring, or thinking about that person? Fourteen years of Valentine’s days – honestly I love her more. I love her more, because I understand her more, I know her more. Isn’t that what intimacy is about? Maybe this thing called marriage is another lesson, a lesson on personal intimacy not just with our partner, but with our creator. I love you Mary, thanks for the lesson on love and intimacy this morning, and thanks for 14 Valentine’s Days of devotion.
Hebrews 12:1-2
12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.
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