It’s February, and love is in the air. Everywhere you look you see red and pink hearts, cuddly teddy bears, and beautiful flower arrangements — all reminders that Valentine’s Day is near.
It is the time to celebrate love. But where did Valentine’s Day come from?
The name Valentine’s Day comes from Valentinus, a third-century Roman Catholic priest. One story is that when the emperor had outlawed marriage, Valentinus secretly married a young couple, and was discovered and executed. Other stories claim he was a martyr killed for trying to free Christians from prison, or that he left a note signed “from your Valentine” to his lover before his death.
Eventually, Feb. 14 came to be celebrated as Saint Valentine’s Day. The day became associated with romance in the 1500s, and the first commercial Valentine cards were issued in the 1700s.
The question is, do we really need a special day to celebrate love? Shouldn’t we be celebrating love, and those we love, every day? And what is love anyway? The Bible uses three different Greek words that are translated to love in English, each depicting a different form of love, from physical to brotherly to God’s kind of love.
God’s kind of love as described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NLT) is patient and kind, not jealous, boastful, proud, or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable and keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices in the truth. True love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
Nothing about hearts, flowers, and fuzzy teddy bears in this description. Notice that this kind of love has nothing to do with feelings, but describes everyday, observable actions toward the other person.
Jesus said we should love God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind. This is the kind of love He is talking about. How can we love a person we know that way, let alone God whom we haven’t really seen? However, Christianity is not about how much we love God. What we need to understand is how much He loves us. He loved us so much that He gave us His only Son, Jesus, to die for us so we would not perish, but have eternal life. Isn’t that better than a fuzzy teddy bear?
If you would like to learn more about God’s love for us, come visit us at Charis Christian Church, 4811 E. Julep St., Suite 101, in Mesa.