Hopefully making theology simpler to understand! (2 Corinthians 1:12)

I mentioned before that I would update about why Valentine’s Day is good for all people, not just couples. Really, Valentine’s Day – if we are keeping with the love theme – is meant more for those who are married or getting married, but I did say it is a good day for all people.

Today the focus is singles!

I feel for all of those who say “I hate Valentine’s Day” or even call it “Singles Awareness Day”. I really do. Quite frankly, stop being so selfish and full of yourself! You might not like having “love” pushed down your throats, but others do not like having “hate” and “sour attitudes” pushed on them, either.

I know. That is a great way to get many people to stop reading. I am not trying to offend – honestly. It is just that if you want to complain about a holiday that glorifies relationships, I think it shows just how envious you are of others. I understand complaints about how commercialized it has become. I hate that, too. As I mentioned before, it was supposed to be a day to honor a man who pushed God’s ideal of love. Some people probably think “I agree with his being the patron saint of plagues!” because this day has become so “show someone you love them by going into bankruptcy!” (moral and financial, it seems)

Sight has definitely been lost on God’s truth, but I think I can give most of us the benefit of the doubt that it started long before we came along! Quite honestly (and I am not trying to pick on one group more than another!) The Catholic Church has not done a great job of making sure even most Catholics understand this holiday properly, so why should we expect the rest of society to get it?

Instead, our focus should be on God. Not meaning to sound like I am repeating myself, but what was Valentine trying to tell people?

I will give you a hint (for Christians out there): What is the greatest Commandment?

Christians who say they hate Valentine’s Day really get on my nerves. Seriously. I know I am to love my neighbor, but when a Christian says “I hate …” anything, really (other than sin!) I just want to punch them in the throat! At least then they will not spoil things for the rest of us, and maybe I can stop them from vocalizing what they are not supposed to be thinking, anyway!

Really, it reminds me that we all need prayer … and better understanding.

For Christians out there: Seriously. Get over yourselves if you “hate” Valentine’s Day. Just do not give in to the commercialism! Focus on the One you should be focused on! Stop harping on the evils of what our world does. Remember, we live in a fallen world. The Devil is always trying to steal our thunder. Stop helping him. Instead, give it to God. It is what we are supposed to do. Be the salt and the light, not a lampshade. At least try to show you have Love living inside you.

For the non-Christians: Please accept my apology for those who do not live what they presumably preach. They do not speak for the rest of us (even if it seems they are the ones in the majority sometimes). Instead, please realize that this holiday was meant to point towards the greatest love of all: God’s. You should truly read what John chapter three means. God loves you so much that He came to live as a man, be ridiculed and beaten, killed by hanging from nails through His hands on a cross, and suffering in Hell for a few days. All of this so that He could say “I love you so much, I died for you. But I also came back to life to show you that I want to spend eternity with you.” Seriously. How many people have died to save your life? How many actually lived to make your life worth something? How many came back to life so that you can have a real life, too?

For everyone: If nothing else, use Valentine’s Day as a day to remember that you might have someone in your life one day with whom you want to spend the rest of your life. Instead of sulking or complaining, work on being the person you want your spouse to have; the person worthy of being called “Mine” by someone.

It was the words of the prophet Billy Joel that first got through to me as a child: “Tell Her About It”. It made me realize that I had to be a man worthy of a woman before I could properly treat her as the woman I desired most. Like in the song, I have made some mistakes. I broke promises to myself, God, and my wife . . . before I was married. Yeah, those experiences helped me be more conscientious of my time with her later, but there are pains that still live with me.

Why is it important to “wait until marriage” for certain things? There are the obvious: avoid diseases, children out of wedlock, certain heartaches, certain financial pitfalls, and on and on. There are others: realizing you are connected to people emotionally for the rest of your life, regrets, painful memories, emotional scars, and on and on.

Use Valentine’s Day as a reminder. Seek God. Work on being the person another person can love. As the Bible says: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.”