I wish I could sit here and tell you that I go crazy over Valentine’s Day. It’s the day of love and togetherness and celebration and all the glazed, lovey-dovey eyes over fancy food that has been marketed above regular price in order to impress or express love for whoever happens to be sitting across the table.
I wish I could sit here and say that Valentine’s Day was my favorite holiday. It’s the day of cards, gifts, and affection. A nationally known day to celebrate all the mushy, gushy “love is in the air” type of celebration.
I wish I could say I don’t get anxious or overwhelmed during Valentines Day events, even now being married to my loving husband for over 4 years…but that would be a lie.
The truth is, Valentine’s Day brings a mixed bag of emotions for me. And while I could sit here and spill all of my personal opinions surrounding the marketing of this monumental day, I want to hone in on one opinion in particular and I ask that you prepare your heart for what I’m about to dive into because, let’s be real, everyone comes with their own baggage.
In my dating life, I was convinced that I needed a valentines date every year. It sounds so silly but there it is…I was thoroughly convinced I needed to go on a date for V-Day every year and if I didn’t have one lined up or at least one set in motion to be lined up, I felt ugly. Ugly’s not the right word for it…I felt lonely. Utterly alone. Not good enough. Useless. Not worthy. Even as I write here and now, I still feel the heaviness in those words and the hurt in a younger me’s heart.
Years later, I can see God’s hand in everything…but of course, this is in hindsight and when I was dating around, I couldn’t see where God was whispering to me. Instead, I heard the shouts of the world focusing on validation from others, whether temporarily or longing for a deeper connection.
There was one summer specifically, actually the summer I first met my husband, where I had just come back from the worst girl’s trip of my life (another story for another time) and I literally remember sitting in my room, crying out to God “I’M DONE, GOD! I AM DONE.” I had gone on a few dates over that summer, but I felt utterly empty, not whole. I felt…well, nothing. I cried out to the Lord asking for Him to show me His face because I am done dating. I am DONE with it all and giving it all to others only to not feel whole at the end of the day.
God whispered to me, “You’ve gone through the hills and valleys, Melissa. It’s time to turn north”. Okay…odd. Why was that popping into my head? I assumed it was a lyric to a song and it was really bothering me that I couldn’t remember what it was. So, I looked it up.
“You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north.”
Deuteronomy 2:3
This verse has since become a testimonial verse in my life because it was the first time I ever recall hearing the Lord’s voice.
And He didn’t come in guns blazing, fire falling from the sky, thunder cracking, bright lights shining down on me…He spoke to me with a whisper.
A whisper.
That’s all it took for me to tune in…really tune into what God had already set in motion. This was back in 2016 and since then, I have continually leaned into His whispers.
In the world’s eyes, and in my eyes before knowing the Lord…and I mean truly understanding His love for me, “love” is a national holiday. And it’s become so over-publicized with the use of social media to the point where if the Valentine’s Day gesture isn’t grand enough, bold enough, or romantic enough, then it equates the message that maybe “I’m not enough”.
But in the bible, God has already shown His love for you and for me and for your neighbor or your coworker in many ways! John 1 4:8 states that “God IS love” and if He is love and knowing He loved us FIRST, we are validated in the King’s love. That, my friends, is unlike any other kind of love. It’s unshakeable. Unbreakable. Unfathomable. It’s the kind of love that forsakes all others.
And He shows it with a whisper. Everyday. Through your daily life. God’s love transcends all understanding.
It’s the pitter patter of your children’s feet hitting the floor first thing in the morning.
Or the friend who calls you up knowing you are sick and simply says, “send me your address. I’m on my way”.
Or the birds chirping while you are taking in the day ahead, realizing you only have an hour to yourself before chaos ensues.
His love is shining in the smile of the receptionist in your local dentist office or the friendly face in a coffee shop.
He is the whisper in the wind. The breeze against your skin. His love is ever-present and never-ending.
“The Lord appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.
Jeremiah 31:3
His love is everylasting. He has loved us FIRST so then we may love others in our own ways to reflect His image.
You are enough for God’s love by simply breathing.
You. Are. Enough. Because. Your. King. First. Loved. You.
In what ways has He whispered to you? I encourage you to take some time, whether it’s right now at this second or by carving out some quiet time to sit and reflect on the whispers of love He has nudged towards you.
And then…
Take it a step further by being that whisper of love to someone in your life. You never know the ways God is working through you to reach someone else. He has loved, so we may love.
…and, to those still wondering about my Valentine’s Day opinions, my husband and I have found ways to celebrate one another in our own love languages. In our own way. It works for us and for our marriage. For me personally, pasta is my gluten-intolerant love language so you can bet your butt I’ll be consuming enough to at least break out for a week!
Be blessed, and find ways to be that whisper of love to someone today and throughout this week.
Simply Blooming Grace 