MY VALENTINE IS LOVE

I love love. In fact, I'm still on a high from Valentine's Day. I know some despise the day. Some complain that it's about selling cards and candy. But I love any occasion to think about, dream about and celebrate love. There are parts of the day I'd like to block from my memory, like the times I would painstakingly decide which boy would get which little card. I didn't want to send the wrong message to any of them! There was also the Valentine's Day in college when I finally had a real Valentine...and he got me a totally wrong gift. I won't go into detail, but I still remember the feeling that this guy did not truly understand or love me. And, of course, like so many others, there are the times I fell captive to the lie that I was alone on Valentine's Day.

So why is it different this year? I'm NOT going to say that I have a boyfriend or that I got engaged. Believe me, you'll know when that happens! I do have a Valentine, though. His name is Love. 1 John 4:8 says that God is love. He IS love. It's who He is, and I love it! God's love sustains me, overwhelms me, pursues me, and woos me. My box of chocolates this year was the friends that He blessed me with. My rose, my family. My teddy bear, my loving Savior who wraps me in His eternal, whole, perfect, exciting love.

I still love love, but I love LOVE now more than ever! I still hope for all the love that a Valentine's Day would bring, and the Reese's peanut butter cups that come with it, but I won't trade Love for love. He's mine. And I'm His. My Valentine is Love.

~Rebecca Phillips