John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Mark 12:30-31
"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."
Valentine's Day looms on the horizon, seducing us with all its red, pink, white, heart-shaped candy glory and regalia of holiday promotions. For many, Valentine's Day is THE coveted celebration of romantic love. Roses, chocolates, candlelight dinners, personal gifts exchanged, and all shared with that special, irreplaceable person of our dreams who has chosen us as a beloved partner.
But for so many others, Valentine's Day heralds sadness, loss and loneliness. A relationship on the rocks. A spouse who succumbed to cancer. Divorce tearing at the fabric of a once-whole heart shared. People living alone and feeling the pain of isolation, so in need of a loving thought, a caring word.
A heartfelt prayer.
What can you and I do to ease those moments for others who are not in a position to view Valentine's Day in an optimistic, promising light?
Although the list could be endless, here are a few suggestions to brighten someone's Valentine's Day:
- Send e-cards or real cards to friends and family members who may be feeling down and alone. Share your unique thoughts about how much they are loved and appreciated by you.
- Bake cookies or other specialties and have your children or grandchildren deliver to the neighbors.
- Buy a pack of "kids' valentines," and pass them out to persons who serve you in your local bank, grocery or other retail store.
- Surprise co-workers with a small box of candy and a note expressing your thankfulness for them.
- Buy a bouquet of roses (any flower will do) and stand on a busy street corner to pass them out one at a time. Might not hurt if you have place a tag that reads "Jesus loves you" on each one!
- Check with your church to find out who in the congregation might be in need of an extra dose of comfort or encouragement, and follow through according to their needs.
These are just some suggestions to get your creative juices flowing. Yes, I can almost see your minds and hearts whirling imaginatively as you envision how to make someone's Valentine's Day a special one.
May God bless you in it all as you seek to shine His love into this hurting world.
~
Did you find any of the suggestions above appealing to you? Did you come up with more ideas to share God's love?
Prayer: Father, it is because You first loved us that we are able to love others. Let us demonstrate Your gift of love on this Valentine's Day to the lonely and the brokenhearted. May they see the light of Your gracious, eternal love through our words and deeds. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
great ideas. The choices are many.
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked these, Sharon!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Martha, your thoughts on Valentine's Day are spot on and comforting. It's not easy to be single on Valentine's Day, however, I'm choosing to focus on God's love and enjoy His presence.
ReplyDeleteYou're ideas (ideas for Random Acts of Kindness) are great. When I was in college/grad school, I rediscovered the fun of those little kid Valentines that I thought I had outgrown. We never know who needs a little encouragement; the smallest act of kindness can reap great dividends.
My Walk to Emmaus experience in 2009 (just happened to fall during Valentine's weekend). What an amazing experience of being loved that time ended up being.
Love and blessings!
How fortunate to be on your Emmaus Walk on Valentine's weekend, Kim! I've never felt such love as when I did my walk, so I can exactly imagined how it lifted you up.
DeleteI'm pleased, too, that you liked the suggestions here. I guess we should all be doing those random acts of kindness every day, not just on this holiday. Still, it is a difficult time for so many folks and we can do so much to brighten their days.
Love and blessings!
Hi Martha! I LOVE the idea of the multipack Valentines to give to people who serve us so well.
ReplyDeleteMy husband is a bus driver for the local high school, and he got a little box of candy and a Starbucks card today from one of the kids. So appreciated! And so unexpected. Little acts of kindness really do lift up the spirit.
Wishing you a loving Valentines Day as you lift the spirits of so many right here on your blog, and in your world.
Blessings!
Ceil
Oh, what a sweet story about your husband, Ceil. My hat's definitely off to him for being a bus driver. I taught for years and always thought those beleaguered drivers had the toughest job of any of us.
DeleteAnd thanks for your kind words - I so hope my blog goes far in brightening the days of others, but that is all in God's hands.
Wishing you a glorious Valentine's Day, too, my friend!
Love and blessings!
Good view of all perspectives of Valentines Day and love all the idea. But the best feature is that photo. made me giggle.
ReplyDeleteThe photo made me laugh, too, Jean. So cute!
DeleteGlad you enjoyed the ideas here. Happy Valentine's Day!
Love and blessings!
Since you have the Squirrel there shouldn't you also be telling people to share the love of books with yours. LOL Happy V Day to you Martha.
ReplyDeleteI guess I should have, Bill. I do have a link to my author's website at the top right hand corner of the page. Maybe I need to make this bigger. :)
DeleteHappy Valentine's Day to you, too!
Love and blessings!
Such a beautiful thought Martha!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Privy!
DeleteLove and blessings!
happy Valentine's Day Martha - hope you had a great day.
ReplyDeleteas I reflect more on this day, the more I realize that we shouldn't make love into just one day:) Instead we should celebrate love throughout the year. I love the suggestions and will be inspired to not only do them on that 14th day of Feb but as many days that I can this year.
I agree with you, Vishnu, that love should never (and can never) be confined to one day, but should be celebrated daily. Glad you liked the suggestions here, too. I did some this year myself, but will go all out next Valentine's Day.
DeleteLove and blessings!