Dear Blog,
Today is Valentine’s Day and I really don’t know how to feel about it. I am stuck in the place of contentment in my singleness, yet also longing for the beauty of love and the joy it can bring. But even in this state I am still able to take something from this Valentine’s Day.
Working in customer service, you get to observe all kinds of people and the differences between each of them. Without even knowing a person, you get to see glimpses of their lives. For me, I love that sort of thing. There is something so intriguing about how people work and the different ways they react to things. And how interestingly enough all of our stories are meeting together in one common place where we each play a part in each others stories in someway. With all of that, I come into work doing my job while simultaneously observing the people I serve. And today I observed some different reactions to this particular day.
One observance I had made was of a lady sitting by a window. And as she looked out the window a man passed by. She watched as this man strolled past with another woman at his side. I had previously witnessed this lady by the window and that same man together a while back, but haven’t seen them come in together in a long time. As I continued to work, I again passed by the lady by the window a moment later, and caught a glimpse of her wiping away tears. It didn’t take long to connect the dots. And as I observed this lady’s hurt, I was hurting right there with her. I know the feeling all too well of watching someone you had once allowed your heart to love, now be off to the next infatuation. All the while you are left behind picking up the pieces of your heart they had so carelessly torn apart. This kind of love is painful and creates a thick wall of bitterness around the heart.
Other observations I had made were of a lot of admirable stories of the plans husbands had come up with to show their affection and love to their wives; surprising them with roses and gifts without even having to be asked. To see the light in the eyes of the wives who spoke of it, sparked hope in my own heart of what could come; to one day feel as cherished and loved by a man like they are. Not just for a passionate moment in a lustful relationship, like I have experienced before, but in a lasting committed relationship. I hope for the moment when this particular day can be a day to look forward to instead of dread.
So this is why I don’t really know how to feel about this day. I see and relate to the pain that comes with love. But I also see and have tasted the sweetness it has to offer. Where, then, do I stand in the battlefield of love? Do I stand and fight on the side of pain and bitterness? Or do I fight for and hope in the beauty love has to offer? But as I stood their in the midst of the people I had observed, it dawned on me that I don’t have to fight on either side. But rather I can use the experiences I have had to aid people on both sides.
For those who have lost in love and now are left with the sting and pain, I can relate to them. I can reach in and extend compassion from a heart that sympathizes with the hurt. I can share my experience and welcome them in to the healing process that I myself had received. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” So, although I have known the worst of pain in heartbreak, I have also known the sweetest embrace of a loving God who heals. And I can help others know that too. And for those who have won in love and are living in the beauty of it, I can rejoice with them, because I have been able to experience a glimpse of it too. I may not know much about it, but I am hopeful in the beauty of it.
Romans 12: 15 commands us to “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” So that is how I am choosing to fight for love. To step in and extend the compassion and comfort that was extended to me in my own broken and hurting place, while at the same time genuinely rejoicing with those who are experience the sweetness of loves beauty. Knowing that it is truly something to be cherished and hoped for. That it is worth searching and waiting for.
Ultimately, this Valentine’s Day has shown me that His effortless, unconditional love is surrounding me constantly. I really have no reason to desire anything more, because I truly have it all in Him already. I have a peace that can not be shaken the closer I get to Him. I am continually growing as I learn to trust in Him in all life’s seasons. I have a faith more sure as He keeps revealing His great faithfulness to me. And I have a love made more real as His glorious grace washes over my soul again and again.
Oh how great is my God.
And Oh How I long for all to know His kind of love this Valentine’s Day.
Sincerely,
theblessingsgirl
theblessingsgirl 