Needed on Valentines Day?

My wife and I have been married for over 6 years. Let me first say, “This 6 years has flown by!” We talk often about how it seems like just yesterday, we were walking together on our college campus, holding hands, and dreaming of the days of what was to come.

Over six years into it and we are still dreaming about the days to come. Not that our days now are lacking luster, but my natural personality is always looking for something else. What are we going to do next? How are we going to make this year better than last?

This month, February is a very special holiday. Many married, dating, or even single people get wrapped up the commercialism of the holiday instead of the gift in the holiday. As I mentioned above, “How are we going to make this year better than the last?” Think on that for just a second when it comes to your relationships…

What if instead of celebrating the “Holiday,” we celebrate the person? For Christmas, instead of celebrating Christmas (go ahead and give gifts as you wish – nothing wrong with that), we celebrate Jesus and each person in our lives, as our focus? Or for Valentines Day, instead of celebrating the holiday of, “Oh, we need to go out to dinner or I am suppose to buy you something special,” change your thinking to, I want to celebrate this person in my life because God has brought them in my path! When we celebrate the person, our mind shifts to gratefulness instead of have-to-ness. We need to be grateful for those people who are on our journey.

Valentines Day: Love is giving someone what the need, not what they deserve. Christ was the ultimate showing of this. He gave us what we needed (salvation from sin), not what we deserved (eternal suffering for our sin). What if you looked at your spouse, your dating partner or maybe even a good friend through that lens? The lens of, “I want to give you what you need, not what you deserve.” I probably deserve a good kick in the pants. My wife does not look at me that way. She looks at me with a heart of love, compassion, and wanting to give me what I need.

This Valentines Day holiday, I want to challenge your thinking… Celebrate the person(s) and give that person what they need. If you are not sure of what they need, allow this year to be a time to study your significant other. Ask questions to each other (get personal), go to places which rekindle the fire in your lives, or maybe even go to a marriage conference and learn each other all over again. Do what it takes, to know their needs and then… do something about it!

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