You have the romantics. Those in this group have been thinking about this day for weeks – maybe months, and have the entire day planned out. From roses to chocolate to dinner out – the romantics will be sure to celebrate in stereotypical style. 

Then you have the less- romantics. You know the type; they’re the pick-up-on-the-way-home-from-work-Kroger-clearance-flower-givers. Maybe they order take out and call it a night. Or maybe they do nothing at all because you know, “she knows I love her.”

Then you have the singles. The poor, poor singles who trample upon every romantic notion anyone has ever had about Valentine’s Day. They have parties with all their single friends in the name of “singles awareness day” and curse all the cheesy, happy couples in the world. Don’t worry you bitter singles, statistically 90% of you will get married, thus getting to spend many years in one of the aforementioned categories. 

But today, I think of the people that don’t fit into any of these groups. I think of the lady whose husband died recently, leaving her without a valentine for the first time in years. I think of a family that lost their 5 year old little girl at Christmas time, and now spend Valentine’s day without her. I think of the man who lost his wife to cancer, and today sits alone reminded of the love he lost. For people with tragic stories of loss and heartbreak, holidays like today can be more painful for them than any other day because they are reminded of what they’ve lost. 

There are a lot of hurting people today. Christians have the blessing of knowing the meaning of true love, the love of Christ, the only sustaining, unwavering love there is. We can find comfort in the fact that Jesus loves us perfectly and that there is no greater love than the love of Christ, who gave His life for ours. But what about the people who don’t know that truth? The people that don’t share that same hope we have in times of heartache? Those people are hurting in a way I cannot begin to understand, and today my heart hurts for those people more than ever.

The Bible is packed full of verses on God’s love for us and how we are to love others. If we are truly people who seek to emulate Christ in all that we do, we can start with doing what He does best: loving people.

John 15:12 “Love one another as I have loved you.”

So simple, yet so difficult. 

That’s my challenge- for myself, and anyone else who may happen to read this. That we would step outside of ourselves and begin to fiercely go after lost and hurting hearts. 

How will you share Christ’s love today?