Sunday, February 13, 2011

Valentine’s Day is not just for lovers
History says Valentine’s Day is all about showing your loved one you care.
People who are dating exchange mushy cards, husbands take their wives out for dinner and guys buy their girls flowers and chocolates, etc., etc.
But what if you are not involved in an intimate relationship??
Then who do you share Valentine’s love with? Maybe your parents, your best friend or your children?
How about yourself?
It may sound weird. But I’m being serious.
It’s Valentine’s Day!  And who says we cannot share love with ourselves today!?
How many of us actually love ourselves? And how fair and kind are we to ourselves?
When we are nearly flawless in carry out something, we indisputably pat ourselves on the back. But think about how often we tend to put ourselves down when we don’t perform perfectly.

This morning I made banana bread. I’ve made this scratch recipe hundreds of times and never messed it up but today I allowed myself to get distracted and forgot to add not one ingredient, but two. Noticing AFTER each time I put the bread back into the pan and into the oven! Ugh.

We were soon headed to church and I had a limited amount of time to complete this correctly. I still needed to get into the shower and I knew the noses of my family had already smelled the wafting of bananas.

Everyone was waiting for this bread and I found that I was getting upset and disappointed with myself. I almost let it get to me.

I had to quickly get myself into check and remember, I am not perfect and no matter if the bread comes out bad or not, I did my best and it-is-what-it-is. My family will not hate me, they will not starve and I will not let my mistake to ruin my morning. 

I allowed myself patience, mercy and love and I felt so much better about things. In the end, the bread was amazing and we were at church on timeJ

Whether in a relationship this Valentine’s Day or not, remember 1 Corinthians 13:4, which says:
Love is patient and kind,
It is not jealous or envious,
Never boastful or proud.
Love is not ill mannered or selfish or easily angered.
Love does not keep a record of wrongs; it does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
Love never gives up. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes always perseveres, love never fails.

In romantic relationships, love is what sustains us during illnesses, job losses, and ill spoken words.

For the one who may be single, loving ourselves is what gives us faith, self-acceptance and inner strength to become a much stronger person.

 Happy Valentine’s Day!
                 Love yourself today!

Truly,
Amber