Benefits of Being a Christian on Valentine's Day

So I felt like the spoiled girl who everybody hates because she gets everything she wants on Valentine's Day. A very sweet guy surprised me on Valentine's Day with a teddy bear and chocolates.

...my dad. :)

I was talking with some of my friends about how Valentine's Day went; most of them said something like they got a text message like "Happy Valentimes Day," "The Pizza is Dying," and "Happy Worst Day of the Year"--basically Valentine's Day was just any other day. Nobody had a big Valentine's banquet or went on a romantic date.

Probably most of us had a Valentine's Day just like that--probably most everyone in the world. There are a lot of people out in the world that don't have love--not just a boyfriend or girlfriend or spouse, but some people don't have families period. Some people don't have friends, or at least true friends. Maybe one of us felt unloved on Valentine's Day.

But I wouldn't think so, if each of us are Christians.

Despite what our situation may be--we may not have the love of our family, our friends, our "special someone"--but we have something better: the perfect love of God that will never fail us. Even if not one person on earth loved us, we are loved by God, and that love should be enough for us. And because God loves us, it is our job to show His love to those that do not have love.

So this leaves us with some big questions: True love is more than just giving gifts or just saying "I love you." What is true love? How do we truly love other people?

Hearts

"A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies." - Proverbs 31:10

Several weeks ago, my parents and I went to the State Fair on opening day. We had a great time, doing mostly one thing--eating. Well, at one point we grabbed some roasted corn and cotton candy and just sat down at the picnic tables to enjoy when I couldn't help but notice a group of teenagers at another table, each girl with a guy, each guy with a girl. They looked about our age. As I observed, I wondered what their parents thought about the girls wearing shorts shorter than they're supposed to be and guys touching them in places they shouldn't be touching. And it wasn't just at the picnic tables. Everywhere we went, we could see a guy and a girl loving on each other, and they couldn't be married. They didn't even look 20.

The Proverbs verse above doesn't need to apply to just wives, but it can apply to husbands as well. How many people out in the world are people with noble character? It's probably easier to find a ruby than a person who truly loves and serves God with all of his heart. There aren't too many of them out there anymore.

As teens, "falling in love" and all that type of stuff is a big thing in our lives. All of us have at least one person we have a crush on, we've got to admit that. Some of us wonder why it's so easy for the rest of the world to find a girlfriend or boyfriend; however, more than half the time it's a shallow relationship where the girl and guy just want each other for the wrong reasons. As Christians, we don't dress up with slinky clothes or flirt around, yet that's the only reason why the world is able to pair up. What about us? What if we never get a girlfriend or boyfriend?

You know what? That's GREAT! It's a lot better for us to have no one than to have someone we're not truly happy with. I encourage you--DON'T JUST SETTLE FOR ANYONE JUST FOR THE SAKE OF HAVING SOMEONE! The song "Adelaide" by Anberlin comes to mind: Shouldn't need anyone just scared of being alone. To be honest, I have thought thoughts like, "What if I never find anyone?" But then I ask myself, "Would you rather have anybody just because, or be alone and away from an unsubstantial relationship?"

CHALLENGE: Make a list of what you are looking for in a guy/girl. Don't forget that #1 on your list should be that the other person is a Christian; 1 Corinthians 6:14 says, "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" And don't write that list based on a particular person. Here are some instructions:

1. Write the list with the qualities you want in him/her. Add things you want in his/her personality, his/her interests, etc. And it's okay--you can put looks too, though it might not matter in the future.
2. Look over your list. Are those qualities pleasing to God? Cross out anything that might not be.
3. PRAY OVER YOUR LIST! Ask God to give this person strength to wait for you! Ask God to send you this person, and He'll most likely send you someone even better.

I've done this, and it's proved to be helpful in "filtering," so I don't just like every cute guy I see. Looking over the list today, I thought, "Wow, this is a really special guy"; not just any average guy you see at the mall or the State Fair.