Thoughts for 14 February

John 13:34-35

Jesus said: ‘So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. 

Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.  Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples’. 

The world tells us today is Valentine’s Day which celebrates the gift of love.  Bunches of flowers will be given, greetings cards adorned with hearts and roses will be written and exchanged, proposals will be made and accepted (or maybe rejected) and restaurants will be booked.  There will be happiness and sadness, plans that work out and plans that don’t, hopes raised and hopes dashed, it is a day that can hold much promise and a day that can be emotionally very challenging. 

The nature of love that we consider on this special day can be something that makes us feel wonderful or it can be something that makes us more reflective or may even make us incredibly sad.  We might be thinking about the partner that shared our lives for so many years that is no longer around.  We might be thinking about ‘the one that got away’ maybe down to our own inaction, the time when we should have said or done something but chose not to. 

In all the examples put forth, it is well apparent that romantic love, like so many other things in this life, does not work out for everyone.  People change, relationships change, circumstances change and so often these days, the partnerships that were formed on the basis of love cannot always cope with these changes.  And even those for whom it does work out, it will come to an end at some point leaving sadness and maybe loneliness behind. 

It is lovely to see young couples, old couples and everyone in between celebrate the love associated with this special day but just take a few moments to consider those who may be finding today a wee bit difficult. 

The way that Christ loved us and those with whom he came into contact with during his ministry is different.  It is the ‘perfect love’, the ‘love that came down at Christmas’, the ‘love that will not let us go’.  It is indeed, the love worth seeking out and the love worth having and if we aspire to love Jesus in the way he loved us, this will surely be imparted to and felt by all those around us through him who gave up his life for us, the ultimate gift of love. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, may we live as Christ lived in spirit and truth, in submission to the Holy Spirit, and in obedience to Your will. May we love as Christ loved so that in ourselves, we become nothing, in order that Christ may be seen in us and we can show forth His love in our lives, to Your praise and glory. In Jesus' name we pray.  Amen

(with thanks to knowing-jesus.com)