But the Greatest of These is LOVE!

“The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread.” ~Mother Teresa

Each year when Valentine’s Day rolls around I spend some time thanking God for all the blessings I have been given. First and foremost I’m thankful for my salvation, and then my family and friends, and for all the ways I have been surrounded with love. Love, life without it is so hard to imagine, both receiving and giving it. I’m glad that there is a day set aside just to celebrate it!

As much as I enjoy waking up to roses and sweet words from my husband, I am also aware that there are those who won’t have anything special to remind them they are loved on Valentine’s Day. Some people are spending Valentine’s Day far from family, some have lost loved ones, some have yet to find their special someone’s, and some find themselves feeling lonely and unloved not just Valentine’s Day but every day. Because Valentine’s Day is all about gifting love, I want to be sure to think about how I can bless someone who might otherwise feel less than celebratory today. Thankfully it doesn’t take much to brighten someone’s otherwise dismal day, some flowers, a card (or a handwritten note), a phone call, an offer to run an errand, an invitation for dinner, or a million other love gestures.

Of course there are those people who are just downright hard to love! It’s then that I am reminded of those words in the Bible, found in Matthew 5, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?” Interestingly, when I have heeded these words and approached some unapproachable person in love I have often been blessed with a new friend. And there’s one of the most beautiful things I have discovered about love and loving, the more you give, the more you get! That never fails to amaze and delight me. Valentine’s Day is the perfect day to give this a try.

Hoping wherever you are, whatever your circumstance, however we are connected, you can feel me sending love your way, and you’ll allow me to leave you with, perhaps the most famous love passage of all times, from 1 Corinthians 13, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Happy Valentine’s Day!