Who was your first Valentine? Maybe that cute boy with the cowlick who sat in the back of the classroom comes to mind. Or maybe you think of your daddy. I do.
Our dads get us ready for all the Valentines that come afterward. If our dads treat us well, we look for a romantic partner to treat us well, too.
I didn’t always get a man who treated me well, however, I never settled for emotionally abusive behavior. My daddy hadn’t been like that. In the end, I found a Valentine who was like my dad. Unfortunately, Dad died before I met Richard.
I realize Valentine’s Day is a made up holiday, but I value its message – that love and relationships are important.
It also can be a sad holiday. We may not feel loved. Or the person who loved us may have died. I’ve been in both spots.
Being a Christian doesn’t take all negative emotions away, but I will tell you that at the loneliest times of my life, it helped knowing God was watching over me. That he was listening to me. That he loved me.
I didn’t believe he loved me because people told me he did. I had to experience it for myself – over and over again before I really, truly believed it.
I know someday I will lose another Valentine, unless he loses me first. And then it will be just me and God.
Is that where you are today? Just you and God? Maybe you are mad at God because it’s just you and him, no significant other. I yelled at God. I told him I deserved a husband after he took my daddy. I didn’t want to wait another year for a Valentine. For a protector. I’d locked in on a certain man. But he left me.
And then I met Richard. And over the years I learned the man I’d wanted was abusive to the woman he’d married later. They separated, and this man killed himself. And I realized that my protector was with me all along. It was God.
He’s your protector, too. In the sad times. Depressing times. In the loss. He’s Prince Charming on steroids. He’s a knight plated in glorious, gleaming armor. He’s the biggest Valentine ever.
But don’t take my word for it. This February 14th, make a date with God. He’s waiting for that call. For you to unload your troubles on him. For you to follow his direction. And to give you a love that will reach into your every lonely moment and flood it with contentment. You will have found your best Valentine ever.
Who modeled love best for you? What characteristics of love do you wish to model to a child or something else today?
Copyright © 2018 by Toni Lepeska. All rights reserved. www.tonilepeska.com
Leave a Reply