It's  a day that some people dread and others await eagerly. Me? I'm a bit in the middle on the so-called holiday. For one part, I am a total pink fanatic, as this outfit lends proof. I gravitate to anything in a pink shade, as though its some sort of magnet.

Aside from Valentine's Day being an excuse to wear all pink all the time, I love the concept that there is a day all about love. But I think we as a people might have mixed things up along the way in terms of what "love" is. Every post I come across from bloggers or influencers is all about "self-love" and why it's "the most important relationship you could ever have." I have a difficult time with this statement, though. Sure it's essential to take care of yourself, but I don't think it should be our greatest concern when it comes to love. It says in Mark 12:30-31, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these."

Nowhere does it say to love yourself above others or to place more value on your personal relationship over your relationship with others and more importantly with God.  We must first love the Lord our God. And not some wishy washy love. It's not saying to people "of course I'm a Christian" and living otherwise. It's really investing in your relationship with your creator and savior, getting to know who He is, and giving up your heart to allow better change to come. Your life should be living proof of the love we share with our God, further extending into your relationships with others. When we have that firm foundation of love with Jesus, we hold so much love inside of us that we can't help but lend it to those around us. And so we love others as ourselves. 

I can't stress enough how crucial it is to not follow the world's standards of love, but rather to take note of how the Bible tells us to love. Then we can rest in the knowledge that we are made whole in love, and our relationships can be connected to a solid, unbreakable foundation.




I could talk all day about what real love means, but if I'm being completely raw here, I seem to have built a wall of bitter feelings towards love over the years. I don't know if it's a result of seeing many relationships around me collapse or watching those that I've cared about walk away. But somewhere along lines I've begun to believe that there might not be such a thing as a soul mate kind of love. There's just so many questions. How do you know it's the one? What if you meet someone later that is actually who you're supposed to be with and you made a colossal mistake? What if they decide you're not what they want? What happens if they leave?

It's a tough thing, love is. It's frightening and complicated... but there's this faint glimmer of hope that maybe with the right person, it won't be that way. The questions won't matter and possibly won't even be there anymore. It could be the opposite of what this world has made it into. And maybe for that reason, this day isn't as miserable as it could be for a single person such as myself. Because even if I haven't yet found that kind of love, I still have the love of my God and those around me that I am thankful for.

I know that for many this is a lonely, difficult day. All of your surroundings - the couples, the hearts, the word "love" displayed everywhere - just remind you of what you don't have, or maybe of what you lost. But hope can be found in knowing that you are loved. You are loved by the one who made you and sent his son to die for you just so that you could be with him again one day. It's a love greater than any we could find on this earth with another person. Of course it's nice to have a physical companion, but take heart in knowing that despite your current relationship status, you still have a love to celebrate on this Valentine's Day.