Valentines in April

Ok, I know I said I wouldn't post for three weeks, however, my fingers were growing hair and itching to post something. How could I let a momentous occasions such as Valentines pass by without comment? Exactly. So, with a brief hiatus from the worship series I bring you February Fools.

Have you ever thought it strange that Valentine's Day is in February instead of April? I mean seriously, April Fools Day, (which is only a holiday to pranksters and moms who want to get back at their teenagers for the years of abuse they put them through), could be any day of the year, say for example like February Fools - it even roles off the tongue better! Valentine's Day would naturally fit much better into April; you know, the birds and the bees, spring is in the air, Mickey meets Minnie, boy meets girl, lovey-dovey-role-in-the-bushes-mumbo-jumbo?! It all would work so perfectly! Nevertheless, Valentine's Day is in February - the dreariest, rainiest, cloud covered, coldest, and, thankfully, shortest month of the year.

Seeing as we are fated to celebrate this special day in February, we may as well make the best of it by celebrating with a challenging game. Here are the rules:
1. Guys can communicate to girls i.e. phone calls, emails, sign language, billboards, showing off, and those pesky little notes that say, "Please check yes or no."
2. Girls must ignore.
Simple, fun, and exciting! Girls, feel free to thank me later with large unmarked bills.

Love, and feelings of love, have had a tendency to manipulate, confuzzel, drive to insanity, drive to heroism, or simply leave the mind of a man completely blank for centuries and centuries and centuries and centu......a long time. I've seen guys do the funniest and strangest things to get the attention of a certain girl - it's nothing I obviously ever would have done - but I'm telling ya, some guys make the rest of us look really bad...

So I wonder why God created us with this incredibly strong instinct to love and be loved by people? It's not as if we gain or accomplish anything measurable or even live at any higher standard of living. In fact, if love was measurable it would be bought and sold like a common commodity - traded freely on the Toronto Stock Exchange or TSX NASDEC at an extraordinary price; much beyond what the common person could afford. So why such a high price? Supply and demand. All of us hunger for genuine acceptance, love, and support from somewhere; meaningful deep relationships in our lives that add support, passion, and life to the mundane Monday morning that is today. Unfortunately, our homes, schools, churches, and whatever else we are involved in are increasingly becoming love-less - not loveless, but love-less. There is less love going around. As a result, there is greater demand for it from all sides. Parents, children, spouses, employers, employees; all are feeling neglected from not receiving a full portion of love from the people who are closest to them! And we wonder why job satisfaction is low, why there is a high divorce rate in our country, and why there is an alarming number of children disassociating from their families. We have forgotten to love.

In February we see all kinds of love symbols. We eat candy hearts, we make lacey Valentine's Day cards out of last years male lingerie, and we sing along to teary-eyed emo love songs on the radio that are trying to trick the masses into believing that love is wrapped up in a Hershey's Kiss or having friends with benefits...it's not. Love is patient and it's kind. Love does not envy, love is not boastful, rude, selfish, easily angered and it does not keep a running total of all your rights and wrongs, victories and defeats. Love finds enjoyment and satisfaction in the truth and hates evil. Love protects. Love trusts. Love hopes. Love stands the test of time.

Some of you have forgotten how to love and must love more - your families and your friends depend on it! Some of you have lost all hope that you are loveable or even acceptable - you are loveable! In fact, the whole reason that Jesus left the glory of heaven to live in a smelly human-skin suit was because he loves you. It is my hope that this will be a time in each of your lives where you experience long-lasting love and acceptance and a time where you move beyond superficial relationships to deeply-rooted friendships that are based on a God who loves you and a Jesus-following community of people who love each other.