You know it’s coming. Even if you had not seen the hustle and bustle around – you are constantly reminded.
The countless heart balloons, candy, stuffed animals and the endless streams of sappy 80s love songs; yes, you guessed it, it’s almost Valentine’s Day.
The 14th of February is a notoriously bad day for singles. It seems that every friend is making romantic plans with his or her girlfriend or boyfriend. It is the one day of the year singles will be hit with nostalgia about their old flames no matter how bad or bitter the break-up.
According to the old song, “One is the Loneliest Number,” if you’re not attached or don’t have a date on Valentine’s Day, it can be the loneliest day of the year.
How in the world did this happen, who started Valentines Day anyways and it is just a cruel joke to us singles?
Valentines’ Day is rich with history. Traditionally, the celebration had nothing to do with love but rather martyrdom.
In 300 A.D., the Roman emperors still demanded that everyone believe in the Roman gods. Valentine, a Christian priest, was thrown in prison for his teachings. On Feb. 14, Valentine was beheaded, not only because he was a Christian but also because he had performed a miracle. He supposedly cured the jailer’s daughter of her blindness. The night before he was executed, he wrote the jailer’s daughter a farewell letter, signing it “From Your Valentine.”
Now that kind of love is very different from the kind of love we see on Valentine’s Day. Candy companies, florists, jewelers and retailers from nearly every market have over-commercialized Feb. 14 and reduced it to the second most lucrative shopping season in the year.
Months before February, retailers stock shelves with large amounts of merchandise from cards, chocolates, balloons, plastic flowers, cologne and teddy bears emblazoned with hearts.
Right after Christmas, retailer’s stock shelves with liberal amounts of merchandise from cards, chocolates, balloons, plastic flowers, cologne, and teddy bears emblazoned with hearts. Figures indicate that Valentine consumers spend $103.00 per person on this special day, says thirdage.com. Men spend twice as much as woman, and according to aboutflorists.com they boast its florists # 1 day of the year with over 217 million red roses sold nationwide. The trend toward consumerism may necessitate re-writing the history of Valentines’ Day to chronicle its fall from grace.
What’s a person supposed to do? Should we forget Valentines’ Day all together? Should singles hide out and bury themselves for this day of the year? There are other alternatives that speak of unselfishness and the love of God. According to I Corinthians 13: 4-6, love is the key.
With that thought in mind, how much good could we do on that day to show the true love of God? We should all enjoy this holiday and celebrate that God loves us! So turn on the sappy music, bring out the chocolates and spread a little love around!
