God is perfect. Everything God says is perfect. Everything God does is perfect. Everything God created is perfect. This begs the question, what happened? Because it is obvious that the world is not perfect.
Enter Lucifer. He was the angel of light. He was God’s top dog. But he decided that wasn’t good enough for him and that he wanted to BE God. So, he rallied a bunch of angels and went to war against The One True God and His angels. The result of that battle left God’s creation in total disarray, and Lucifer and his angels banished from heaven. In the Bible, the book of Genesis chronicles what God did to set the heaven and the earth back in order. And it was perfect again until the serpent, which is what Lucifer had become, tricked Eve and caused Adam and Eve to sin against God. That act introduced evil into the world, which is still present with us today. And that evil brought with it, corruption, which has affected every natural thing.
That quick and very abbreviated history lesson serves as an introduction to what I really want to talk about, and that is LOVE.
Love is a popular topic of conversation in February because of Valentines Day. And Valentines Day is an example of the worldly idea of love. And the worldly idea of love is less than perfect because the world has become less than perfect.
Valentines Day has been a part of our lives since childhood. When I was young, we took self-decorated boxes to school to receive all the valentines we would get from our classmates. There would be a party with homemade cupcakes or cookies and the anticipation that we might get a special Valentine from that certain someone. As we grew, Valentines Day continued to be a factor in our concept of what love should be. In high school, couples who were ‘going steady’ were expected to share some kind of demonstration of their love on Valentines Day. And even into adulthood, many couples still recognize the holiday in their relationship.
I have nothing against Valentines Day. There is absolutely nothing wrong with young people or adults wanting to recognize the occasion as an opportunity to celebrate their affection for one another. More power to them! But, just as in elementary school when we didn’t get that one special card in our box, Valentines Day can also open the door for disappointment or resentment even in adulthood.
And why is that? Because the worldly concept of love is corrupted. The evil influences in the world have taken the perfect quality of God’s love and twisted it into a less than perfect copy. The world took something marvelous like love and weaved in a little corruption, so that it could break your heart.
Valentines Day offers us an opportunity to declare our love one for another, and that’s a good thing. But it also allows the world to dictate the standard of what that declaration should be. For example, flowers are a standard Valentines Day gift. What if I don’t receive flowers? Do I get disappointed or angry? If so, it would be because that worldly standard was not met. And my response might even be to withhold my affection. Love should not be rationed because of hurt feelings.
In addition, we may adhere to a worldly definition of romance. There is nothing wrong with romance. Most women adore it. But are we comparing our romance to some worldly standard? Are we expecting our mates to act according to a story we read or a movie we watched? The world is FULL of romantic stories. But those stories can paint an unrealist picture of love that may not be present in our lives. And because of that, we may become disheartened. We may set a standard in our own minds that cannot be achieved, leaving us frustrated and unhappy.
The romantic notions of love are not necessarily corrupt in themselves. But they become corrupted when they are imposed on someone as the only acceptable evidence of love. Plus, the worldly standard of love could be unattainable, and therefore result in disappointment or failure. That is how the corruption of the world is designed to work in all categories of life.
I’m all for Valentines Day and all the romance you can muster, if it is a good fit for you and your mate. But I am opposed to anyone being expected to conform to a worldly standard that oppresses them. I put the worldly standard for love in the same category as the worldly standard for beauty. Society promulgates the image of what should be considered beautiful. Often it is an unrealistic standard. Imagine how unhappy I would be if my husband wanted to hold me to the worldly standard of beauty, or vice versa! Trying to measure up to that standard or just about any worldly standard is usually a losing proposition.
Now to be clear, just because we repudiate the worldly standard of love, we still need demonstrate our affection for each other. How could we claim to love someone and provide no evidence to substantiate our claim? That would be like telling someone that you make the best chocolate chip cookies in the world, but never baking them to be tasted. Your claim might be true, but without evidence, it’s just hollow words. Actions speak louder than words!
So, what is the solution?
Enter God’s love!
John 3:16 – For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
In one simple verse, God sets the true standard for love. Love is giving. Love is unselfish. Love is putting someone else before yourself. God demonstrated His love by giving us His only begotten son so that we would not perish but have everlasting life. When we were at our worst, God gave us His best. Because He so loved us, we love Him and can show that love to others.
Jesus Christ demonstrated God’s love and left us an example to follow. He said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) That statement shows the great love that Jesus Christ had in his willingness to do whatever was needed to accomplish our salvation. He was willing to give everything, even his life for us because he loved that much.
Ler’s love one another according to God’s perfect standard rather than some worldly ideas that can leave us brokenhearted. Celebrate Valentines Day if you want to, send cards, buy flowers, eat chocolates, be romantic. But if Valentines Day activities are not your cup of tea, no worries. Whatever you choose, remember, the most important thing is to give.
Note to my readers: Happy Valentines Day. I sure love you! Thanks for reading!