Confused Heart

Another Valentine’s Day has come and gone and I am still unsure about what it means. I know it is a stroke of marketing genius—when flowers, chocolates, restaurants, and other wares make huge commercial profits.

But what is it really? What exactly are we celebrating? Or for whom is it celebrated?      
 
Going back to its history, Valentine’s Day long, long ago was a pagan tradition; and in later years, was made a part of Christian celebrations. There is not just one but several legends on how this happened.

My personal feeling is, love can’t be pigeon-holed into one day. The Scriptures tell us that love is long-suffering and forever; it never looks back, but keeps going on till the end. And without it, we are nothing.

Okay, that’s a different kind of love, you may say. Valentine’s Day is all about calf love or romantic love. But ah, there’s the rub.

Romance is not bound by schedules. Let me try to remember what some authors have said about romance—“It is a roller coaster ride, it has its ups and downs.” Shakespeare’s Romeo said, “It’s a madness most discreet.”

Romance is unruly, spontaneous and improvises—it is a sudden burst of inspiration, a sleepless night, a note written at a whim, a poem, a giggle in a middle of a lecture, goose bumps and tears, flowers and chocolates for no reason, and many, many more.

It is always a joy for me to delight the people I love, freshen friendships, and send an e-mail or a text message of love. But that can and should happen anytime one feels like it.

It is the sense of duty—of giving someone you love something that is quadruple the cost on Valentine’s Day because he or she expects it—that confuses this day’s purpose.

Pardon the philosophizing; many of you may not agree.

Let me then simply end with 1 Corinthians 14:1 (The Message): "Go after a LIFE [emphasis mine] of love as if your life depended on it—because it does."