Valentine’s Day can be a hard day for so many. Widows missing their husbands, singles wondering why they still haven’t found their other “halves,” wives receiving the casual flowers from a husband who mistreats them the rest of the year. The reasons are completely different for each person, but the theme is the same: Valentine’s Day is the day when they feel the gulf that divides them from all the happy couples gushing about love and romance on social media.
So how can we avoid jealousy on the one hand and making others feel less than ourselves on the other hand? By keeping it real.
Just For Singles:
- Don’t make too much of this one day. Valentine’s Day is just another day. Yes, everywhere you walk you see romance. But most of that is just people trying to sell you merchandise. If God has marriage in mind for you, He’ll make that happen in His time. And it may have nothing to do with Valentine’s Day.
- Keep your priorities straight. You’re in a hard but very wonderful season of life right now. The world is completely open to you, and the only one you really have to report to is God. Make your life about serving Him 100%. I promise you won’t regret a single moment spent serving the Lord rather than sighing over someone else’s life.
- Triumph over the comparison trap. True commitment, in marriage or any long-term relationship, is hard. Don’t be fooled by the veneer we place over our social media profiles. Some of us do have really good marriages, and we thank God for that. But even the best marriage has very hard places. Don’t compare with others—you don’t know what they’re going through right now.
Just for Married Couples:
- Don’t lie about your life being greater than it actually is. Yes, encourage your spouse. It’s beautiful to see a couple truly in love with each other. But please don’t turn into a puddle of romantic mush on Facebook if you can’t stand each other in real life!
- Keep private things private. Having a romantic evening tonight and you just can’t wait? That’s great! Write about it in your journal—every beautiful moment. If you feel that you must, post a picture of yourself and your spouse/fiancé/whoever all dressed up. But please don’t overshare. You know what we mean—some things are meant to stay just between you two.
- Don’t overemphasize the nonessentials. Singles sometimes have a tendency to glorify the flowers, the candy, and the overstuffed teddy bear. Romance has been commercialized to such a great extent that we forget that the power of an enduring, solid covenant-commitment is worth more than a thousand expensive cards and red rose bouquets.
[clickToTweet tweet=”Romance has been commercialized so much that we forget that the power of an enduring, solid covenant-commitment is worth more than 1000 expensive cards and red rose bouquets. #truelove #valentinesday #happyvalentines” quote=”Romance has been commercialized so much that we forget that the power of an enduring, solid covenant-commitment is worth more than a thousand expensive cards and red rose bouquets.”]
Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!
Don’t forget to be real. 🙂