Valentine's and Lent

...Both in the same week. Let's just say this week was a complete blur. I was dealing with frustration at work. It was a "hands up in the air I'm so frustrated" week pretty much since Tuesday. I've been exhausted, traffic's been bad - meaning I've been getting home late. Like 8 PM late. I think my allergies might be kind of starting to act up (uhoh), and somehow my brain doesn't want to shut off until around 11 PM. But one thing that I've been coming back to again and again this week, and which honestly is part of the reason that I have somehow managed to drag myself out of bed early in the morning, is that God is faithful, that He gives strength to the weary, and that He will never let us go.

How interesting that in a week that was as hard as this week, Lent would start halfway through the week, and Valentine's would be the day after Ash Wednesday. Personally, I don't give up anything for Lent, and honestly I don't really treat it that differently from the rest of the year. My hope is that every day of the year should be as special as the days leading up to Easter. To be living each day with a thankful heart that the God of the universe would stoop down to live on this earth amongst us and then to give His life to save us. To be drawing nearer and nearer to the heart of God. To desire more fully a deeper personal relationship with Him. And yet, I think it's a really important thing to have a time of the year set apart like Lent. It reminds us of the importance of Easter, and it's a time set apart to think especially of what Christ's sacrifice on the cross means.

Anyway, I got to thinking yesterday about Easter, about life, about what "love" means. Valentine's Day is great - I think - in the way that it's an opportunity to pause and acknowledge important people in our lives. Cough  *significant others* cough. But what does that mean for those of us who well, don't really have any romantic attachments? Some people call it Single's Awareness day. I still call it Valentine's Day. The reason is that I do have a Valentine. And for me this year, with Lent starting so close to Valentine's Day, it was a good reminder. I am loved by the God of the universe who came to earth and willingly gave His life in order that I might enter into a relationship with Him and spend eternity in His presence. His is the love that surpasses all others and it will never ever decrease even one bit. If it was a human being that we were talking about, everyone would be so jealous. So why is it that because He is God, I can take His love for granted? Why do the things of this earth get in the way so much that I don't deliberately take time to slow down and just talk to Him? If this were a person who was special to me, of course I would take time and drop whatever I was doing. So, after thinking about it a little bit, the conclusion I reached is that yes, this year, I will acknowledge that I have a Valentine. He may not walk up to me with flowers, but He has opened His arms wide to me for eternity. This year, I'm letting God's love melt my heart for Valentine's Day. Because He is the only one who can truly melt my heart and change it forever.