Mixed Blessings Day:

Yes, you guessed it: today is Valentine's Day. I send out my best wishes to the couples that I respect and wish common sense on those I don't. I know that this blessing may sound bitter, but it is not. I have good intentions with my blessing. You see, by the couples I respect, I mean the couples that I believe are following a godly path and aren't being stupid about it all. As for the common sense part, I wish that these couples would see that there is more to life than the other person and that having extremities intertwined for hours on end does NOT make you deeply in love.

In the past, I have viewed Valentines day as an over commercialized holiday to make each helplessly coupled chump spend mounds of money on candies, flowers, cards, and occasionally jewelry, to try to show their "undying love" to someone special. On the flip side, this holiday make the single person feel like trash because of their state of terminal singleness is being rubbed in their face. This is like laughing in the face of a cancer patient, jumping up and down and screaming, "you're gunna die! Yay! You're gunna die!" It is because of this type of thinking that this day usually pisses me off...

My perspective has changed.

I have come to understand, in my 3 years of singleness, that life is more than dating and that love is a truly amazing thing. I don't mean the over used "love" but the true, pure, and godly kinds of love. It is such love, sent from God and transferred as reminders through friends, that has brought me to where I am.

I could be bitter today, but I choose not to be. There are many people who are doing really special things for the people they care about, which is cool (and also begs the question, "Why not do something special everyday?"), but it does make a single person feel out of the loop. I can say that I have not had the best luck with relationships in my life. I've had a grand total of two and both of them bombed, each for different reasons. I never understood at the time why I was being let go or God's purpose in letting it happen, but I understand now. I valued the relationship over the friendship and that was wrong. God has shown me my faults and also given me comfort in His wisdom, love, and knowledge of my future.

I understand now.

You will not see me showering affection on any one person today. You will not catch me on one knee with a flower. You will not see me declare "love" to any particular person today. (Disclaimer: I do think that these things are cool in their place and when delivered with the right maturity and motive... Some day you may see me doing any one of these) Love is so much more than these things. What you will see me doing today is the unexpected. You will see that I have a focus. You may not see what this unexpected thing is or where my focus is, nor do I want you to. It is between me and who I choose to attribute my undying love to



Jesus Christ.