This past Tuesday was Valentine’s Day. People seem to have strong opinions about Valentine’s Day. The skeptics think that it’s not a real holiday, just one made up by the greeting card companies. And the romantics think that it is an opportunity to demonstrate all their feelings on a grand scale. Most of us, however, are somewhere in the middle.
The history of the holiday is rather vague, but here are some things I read about it. There were at least three Roman Catholic “saints” named Valentine, who are credited as the namesake for the day. All of which were martyred. One of the legends says that a Bishop Valentine was imprisoned for helping Christians escape from Rome under the rule of Emperor Claudius II. While in prison, Valentine fell in love with a young woman who visited him during his confinement. It is said that right before his death, he sent her a letter and signed it, “from your Valentine”. And so, Valentine’s Day was established to commemorate his martyrdom.
Another idea is that the Roman Catholic church instituted “Saint Valentine’s Day” to oppose the pagan holiday, Lupercalia, which was a fertility festival celebrating Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, and Romulus and Remus, the “founders” of Rome. This was celebrated each year on February 15. At the end of the fifth century, Pope Gelasius officially declared February 14 as, “Saint Valentine’s Day”.
During the Middle Ages, it was a commonly held belief that February 14 was the beginning of the mating season for birds, which led to the romantic connotation being associated with the day. In 1375, the English poet, Geoffrey Chaucer recorded Valentine’s Day as a romantic celebration.
Valentine’s greetings began to be exchanged in the early 1400’s among the British and French royalty. And by the 17th century, the day had become popularly celebrated. Around the middle of the 18th century, it had become commonplace for friends and lovers to exchange tokens of affection or handwritten sentiments on Valentine’s Day.
In the 1840’s Esther A. Howland began selling the first mass-produced valentines in America. “And the rest as they say, is history.” Today, Valentine’s Day is second only to Christmas in the number of cards exchanged.
We may have mixed emotions regarding Valentine’s Day because of our experiences. Perhaps for some it is a beautiful celebration of a loving relationship. But maybe for others it’s a painful reminder of a broken heart. Quite possibly it is some of both for most of us.
When I was young, we celebrated the day in elementary school every year. We made our own valentine mailboxes and decorated them as elaborately as we could. We brought them to school and set them on our desks to receive cards from all our classmates. We had a party with treats like homemade cupcakes or cookies and milk from the cafeteria. We played games and had fun. It promoted comradery and friendships in the classroom.
However, there was the risk of hurt feelings. Maybe that one special boy that you liked purposely didn’t put a card in your mailbox. Or someone called your valentine mailbox “ugly”. But isn’t that true of most things in life? There is always a risk of hurt when feelings are involved.
So, some boy in 4th grade broke your heart on Valentine’s Day. If that scarred you for life, then you must still have a 4th grade heart. Perhaps you should strive for a more age-appropriate heart?? Also consider; if we had never experienced a broken heart, how would we learn what it takes to recover from one? And more importantly, how would we learn not to break someone else’s heart? All the ups and downs, hurts and healings, good and bad of youth, help teach us how to become who we want to be as adults, and how to avoid being who we don’t want to be.
Maybe you had a broken heart as an adult. Did you recover from it? Then you can help someone who has a broken heart now. Do you have a broken heart now? Seek someone who has been where you are, for they probably can help you heal. A broken heart can be a ‘lemons into lemonade’ type of situation.
I don’t mean to oversimplify a broken heart. I know it can be a devastating blow. A callous betrayal, a cruel conflict, a losing battle can pierce us to our very soul. But with God’s help, even the most shattered heart can be put back together.
Jeremiah 32:27
Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?
This is one of my favorite verses. Is there anything too hard for the Creator of the heavens and the earth – the God of all flesh?? He made everything including us. Don’t you think He knows how to take care of everything, including us?
Do you remember the scripture that says, “Jesus wept.” (John 11:35)? He cried because he saw the pain that Mary and Martha were experiencing because of the death of their brother, Lazarus. And his heart was hurting also because Lazarus was his friend. That was definitely a heart-breaking event. Think of how his heart must have been utterly crushed by Judas’ betrayal. Jesus was acquainted with the pain of a broken heart.
We all probably know that “by his stripes we were healed” is the promise of physical healing. We also know that Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection paid the price for our redemption. But do we expect that we can be released from our emotional pains? Well, we can. Jesus Christ was and is our COMPLETE savior. He felt all our pains and paid the price for them ALL. So, if Valentine’s Day makes you sad, you can change that by casting that sadness to God and accepting your heart’s healing that Jesus Christ made available.
Now, if Valentine’s Day makes you happy – hooray! Enjoy! Take the opportunity to show someone how much you love them. Send cards, get flowers, eat chocolates. Demonstrate your feelings. Take advantage of what the day provides. Why not? And if you are the recipient of such demonstrations, be grateful.
If Valentine’s Day is just another day in your book, that’s ok. There is no obligation to recognize this tradition. It’s a personal choice. But I will say that anytime we can bless someone by showing them a kindness or letting them know that they are loved is a worthwhile endeavor. So, if you choose to do that on Valentine’s Day, it can’t be a bad thing! I might even go so far as to say, why not make every day Valentine’s Day? We don’t need to limit our appreciation of others to one day a year. And we don’t need to confine our admiration to the giving of a heart-shaped box of chocolates. Let’s seek opportunities to help and bless whoever we can, whenever we can. Let’s be the beacons of God’s love every day, all year!
Note to my readers: I hope your Valentine’s Day was a happy one. Actually, I hope all your days are happy ones! Surely love you and thank God for you! Thanks for reading.