Happy Valentine’s Day! ❤
Ah… love sweet love! And thank you, Burt Bacharach, for giving us a song that still feels like a warm hug wrapped in a melody.
🎶 “What the world needs now is love, sweet love.
It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of.” 🎶
And isn’t that the honest-to-goodness truth?
The world doesn’t need more opinions, more arguing, more “I’m right and you’re wrong.” It needs love. Not the syrupy kind that melts like chocolate in the sun — but the sturdy, sacrificial kind that shows up when life gets messy.
And speaking of love — let’s give credit where credit is due. Valentine’s Day didn’t begin in a greeting card aisle beside the glittery teddy bears and overpriced roses. It began with a man of faith.
St. Valentine was a Christian priest living near Rome during the reign of Emperor Claudius II — who was not exactly handing out “Jesus loves you” bumper stickers. Claudius despised Christianity. He outlawed Christian marriages. But Valentine — bless his brave heart — kept marrying couples anyway. Quietly. Boldly. Faithfully.
That kind of love will cost something.
Eventually, Claudius had him arrested, tortured, and sentenced to death. And according to tradition, Valentine prayed for the blind daughter of his jailer, and her sight was restored. Before his execution on February 14th, 278 A.D., he wrote her a farewell note and signed it:
“From your Valentine.”
And just like that — a tradition was born.
Now I have to wonder — if St. Valentine could see today’s version of his holiday — would he laugh at all the candy hearts and heart-shaped everything?
Or would he weep at how easily love gets reduced to a temporary feeling — instead of a daily decision?
Maybe he’d simply remind us of the Word —
“Love must be sincere.” (Romans 12:9)
Because love isn’t just a card.
It’s patience. Forgiveness. Kindness. Loyalty. Prayer.
And if we are children of God, we are living in the greatest love story ever written —
A Savior who didn’t just say “I love you”…
He proved it with a cross.
Happy Valentine’s Day, dear friends.
God loves you… and so do I. ❤️