Leave the Heart in Valentine's Day

Love is an amazing word, an amazing feeling, an amazing act. Search the scriptures and bathe in this expression of the heart. I have been provoked to think upon Valentines Day, a day of love. At one time this day was not an expression of love but rather evil lust, it has since been taken over and transformed into a celebration of love, a remeberence of a saint named Valentine. The Catholic church took this pagan day and turned it to revolve around Christ, they turned our eyes away from the evil, the darkness and set them on the light. They redeemed it for His glory. I truly believe that we can celebrate this day in love for Christ, overcome the evil in this holiday for good, and bring Him the glory with in it. For most the origin of this holiday is irrelevant and unknown, they just enjoy the lust of candy, flowers, cards, poems, little red hearts and anything that will cover up the true identity of LOVE. They don't see it this way of course but that is what it is, it is a boastful, puffing up kind of love that has no real meaning other than "look at me" aren't I wonderful. Now I am not saying this for everyone of course but theis is the truth for many out there including myself at times, i am not excluded I have been found guilty. But here are my thought of Valentines day and the love that follows close behind.

I love the chance or opportunity that Valentines Day seems to give me to fully express my unconditional love living with in me for those dear to me. I feel like VD gives me permission to go all out, the extra mile, to be extravagant and radical with my love. This day has the power to cultivate and draw it out of it's slumber. VD is an exellent reminder of how to live out 1 John 3:18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. If we truly understood the meaning and origin of love then every day would be an outward expression of its identity.

Love is self sacraficing. In order for us to truly love one another we must be willing to hang ourselves... to crucify our flesh, otherwise our attempts to walk in love (Eph. 5:2) will proove to be in vain. Think about Eph. 3:19... how amazing is that? The "love of Christ" it is to deep, to immeasurable, that it surpasses the knowledge of our minds. We can not truly grasp or wrap our fingers around the heart of it, the self sacraficing, steadfast love of Jesus Christ. Can you imagine being controlled by this love, the love of Christ? What would happen to us? Could we possible stay the same? If we were to hand the controls of our heart over to Him we would be living a radically different life of love, completely self sacraficing.

The heart of love is often left behind in all of our attempts on Valentines Day and nothing but selfish gratification is shown disguised as something that looks, smells, and even tastes like love. We buy, we express, we show only because we are told to not because we want to and if we don't then we have failed. This day should not be all that different, when the heart of the matter is concerned, than any other day. Don't you agree?...Okay, just incase you heard this: "I hate Valentines Day, think it is a joke and completely self gratifying and stupid" let me clarify my statement as simply this: "I love Valentines Day but do feel that it has a tendency to draw out a superficial unrealistic expression rather than a true radical selfless expression of the heart, where the heart is no longer the source of motivation but the gift and praise that takes it place."

Thank LaughaDaisy for my Valentines Day ramblings today and for her generosity to give away a blog design by Summer at Designs by Summer!