Valentine's Day has come again and it is truly one of those "holidays" I wish would just pass right on by. I find myself saddened by the rows and rows of candy, stuffed animals, balloons, fake flowers, etc in every store you walk into. Do people really think that is how you show someone you love them?
The concept of Valentine's Day does not bother me. A day to cherish the people you love is actually a great idea. But love shouldn't be measured by romantic gestures or gifts. Love is not just a "feeling" you get. The phrase "practice makes perfect" best describes love in my opinion. Its a choice to love your spouse, not something that you just can't help because you are so overwhelmed by butterflies. I'm not saying you can't have butterflies just because you are married, I think its great when a married couple is still infatuated with each other, but lets call it what it really is. Love is different though, choosing to love someone means that you will love them the way they need to be loved. You will get out of bed at 3:30 in the morning to feed your baby, not because you feel like it, but because you chose to love your child and meet their needs. The same idea should be used for your spouse.
My husband kisses me goodbye every morning before work, even on the mornings that I have snored all night and kept him awake, or I have makeup smeared all over my face. I can assure you it is not because he is so overwhelmed by the butterflies in his stomach, but he knows its important to me. He brushes my hair after I've had a stressful day, put lotion on my feet every night when I was pregnant and couldn't reach my feet anymore, watches Glee with me on Tuesday nights...and I should stop there because I have already given away too many of his secrets, haha. But the point is that he doesn't feel like doing those things on a regular basis, but chooses to do them anyway. And after time, it becomes easy and natural to love someone, to do the things that you used to not feel like doing.
Our marriages should be modeled after Christ's relationship with the church according to scripture. There were days that Christ was angry with the pharisees, frustrated with his disciples lack of understanding, hurt by the betrayal of friends, and yet despite the fact that he didn't "feel" warm and fuzzy with His church, chose and still chooses to love them.
So today, I will go home and choose to love my husband this day like every day. And know that even though I didn't get a new diamond necklace or a ridiculously expensive boquet of roses, that my husband loves me, truly loves me. I hope everyone finds someone to truly love tonight, no matter who that person is, choose to love them the way they NEED to be loved, rather than the way the world thinks you should love them.
