Happy Valentine’s Day

"Valentine heart" by Lin Pernille Photography

Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Yes – I know the origins ascribed to the day, but I prefer to think of it in relation to the verb romance, the courting or wooing, not the noun which relates more to excitement and mystery. I like the attention my husband has given me on Valentine’s Days in the past and the dinner we will attend this year.

I do not equate romance with “enthrall”, which now means to “capture the fascinated attention.” To me, that’s tied to “thrall” which still means “the state of being in someone's power or having great power over someone” or the historical “a slave, servant or captive.”

That’s what we’re seeing in movies. The impossibly rich or powerful man who gives attention to the not so attractive, often naïve, girl who lacks confidence, waiting but not seeking. There’s enough written on that on the web so I won’t go there, but will look at the plan in place:

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. (Genesis 1:27 KJV)
And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. (Genesis 2:18 KJV)

Made in His image – we both were. Made as a help meet for the man – we women were. And that’s not a bad thing, though many do try to rewrite this portion of the Bible. And the ones that come later:

Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. (Ephesians 5:21-24 KJV)

Nope, I’ll not be rewriting that – it’s awesome, and gives our husbands very important responsibilities. It’s followed by an equally important verse:

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.(Ephesians 5:25-28 KJV)

That’s a Valentine’s Day thought I can live with all year.

What about those who do not want to celebrate a day that has no specific origin and has been turned into a candy- or jewel-coated commercialized wallet buster? Not a problem. The Bible addresses that, too:

One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. (Romans 14:5-6 KJV)

As for me and my spouse – we’ll dine with a Fellowship Hall full of church family, listen to a couple of skits and hear a pastor exhort us to be better people day by day. And I’ll be blessed.