It’s February already! February can be such a peaceful time of year. We are at a mid-way point; winter is still fully upon us but we know that spring is soon coming and we look forward to the longer days, warmer weather, and sunshine.
February is the shortest month but still has so much to recommend it: the big football game (absent the Buffalo Bills, but next year is coming!), the Daytona 500 (the most favored of days in the opinion of some), and Valentine’s Day, that day devoted to red hearts and candy.
Valentine’s Day in our culture may not be representative of the original day. The actual origin of the day is difficult to determine. It, perhaps, had a beginning as a pagan festival that was eventually co-opted and cleaned up by the Roman Catholic Church to commemorate the martyrdom of a man named Valentine in the third century. The big boost for the day, however, came in 1913 when Hallmark Cards of Kansas City Missouri began printing and selling cards for the day. The rest is history.
Whatever the twists and turns of history regarding the day, the red hearts, chocolates, jewelry, and any number of other items associated with February 14th have all come to symbolize love, albeit, romantic love.
Jesus Christ came to us on earth as a result of the love that God the Father has for us, His creation.
The Apostle Paul wrote about love, the love of God, in 1 Corinthians 13. That Scripture is perhaps best known for the appearance it makes at weddings so often; it is used as an expression of romantic love. But the verses that Paul wrote are actually instructions for the Children of God. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 reads this way:
4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
While that teaching certainly works in romantic relationships, the wisdom shared there shows us how to relate to all people. We, as the children of God, are to be known based on the love we share.
As we enjoy the midpoint of winter, the big game, the 500, as we look forward to the improving weather, the hopeful end of quarantine, let’s all resolve to remember that we, as Children of God should keep the spirit of the day all year: love one another.