Valentine’s Day. Photo: alleksana, pexels.com
Isn’t it funny how a day like Valentine’s will prompt conversations about love and catalyse the exchange of chocolates and gifts? Now I’m all for any excuse to show my loved ones that I love them, but I question if what we see at Valentine’s Day is really love.
Karla Rose
When I consider love, rather than one-off gifts and a single day of lavish attention, I am partial to the Biblical definition of love, which asserts that love is patient and kind, it does not envy or boast, it is not arrogant or rude, it does not insist on its own way, it is not irritable or resentful, it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth, it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, and it love never ends.
Now that is the kind of love I hope to receive, and what I hope to be known for giving. A love that is, without a doubt, more costly than purchasing and presenting a box of chocolates.
Love is something you need to choose every day, something that asks you to set aside what you want, and even how you feel, and prioritise the needs of someone other than yourself.
This self-sacrificing ‘I would die for you’ kind of love isn’t easy, and in fact, in all human history, has been successfully achieved by only one person, Jesus Christ.
We all think we are loving, but if we were tasked to swap out our name for ‘love’ each time it appears in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 could we honestly stand in front of even a single person and declare that we were all those things, not just one or two, but all?
At the moment it feels as though roadworks are everywhere, slowing us down, forcing us to travel the long way, inconveniencing us. There are road workers who never seem to let us through, forcing us to wait in a never ending line, people crossing the street as though their only goal that day is to be run over, people driving, or cycling with a disregard for anyone’s lives, it can all feel incredibly frustrating.
This is where the non-chocolate-centred version of love shines. When it is a normal day, when shop windows don’t actively remind us to consider someone other than ourselves, that is when we put on love. That is when love takes a deep breath and considers the needs, reasons and motivations of others without assuming the worst. In the day-to-day grind, where we don’t get brownie points, or even get to feel good about ourselves, that is when real love becomes evident.
So while I encourage you to show your loved ones how much you love them, all while supporting our incredible local cafes, restaurants, and stores, I want to suggest that all of us learn how to put on love every day, even when it makes you uncomfortable and you don’t get to eat chocolate.
Valentine’s Day chocolates. Photo: Jill Wellington, pexels.com
