I can remember Valentine’s Day as a young teenage girl in a girls high school. On this day we all sat in the hall after assembly, girls names were called and they received a rose from a secret admirer from one of the boys schools in the area. The girls had done the same, pre-ordered and paid for roses to be sent to a boys school and the boys were also called up to receive their rose. All our schools used this Valentine’s Day to raise money for some fundraising event. I was young and found this all romantic and fun. At that time I did not receive a rose or a note and I did not have a secret admirer. Each year myself and other girls tried not to show how this made us feel, but deep down inside the desire to feel loved and cherished was there in each of our hearts.
I went to an Anglican school and in the centre of the school was a beautiful little chapel. I often went there in my break times when I felt like I did on Valentines Day. Sometimes Father Bailey was there and he prayed with me. Other times when he was not there, it was a quiet private space to pore my heart out to Jesus and each time He met me in the most beautiful ways. “And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 3:5). It was not that I suddenly received a secret admirer or a rose, but I experienced God’s love through Christ deep within my soul.
I can remember my dad saying that he would not buy anything on Valentine’s Day because he did not want to be dictated to when to buy flowers and when to show love. I can understand his point of view too and I think many men and women may feel the same. But where did Valentine’s Day come from? Did you know that it stems back to someone, a true story. St. Valentine was a priest in the third century in Rome. The Emperor Claudius II of that time felt that single men made better soldiers than married ones and therefore outlawed marriage of young men (Gavan 2022), which undermined God’s will for betrothed men and women to marry and reflect our Lord and his bride. Valentine saw this as an injustice and not within God’s law, so he continued to conduct marriage ceremonies in secret for young couples. When the Emperor discovered what Valentine had done, he was imprisoned and then put to death. There are many other legends and heroic stories about what Valentine did out of his love for Christ and His love for others.
God in His love and mercy did bring a godly man into my life, who loves and cherishes me for who I am. He knows all my weaknesses but in it all my husband loves me and I him. We both decided that we wanted this Scripture to be engraved on our wedding rings before we were married, “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). This Scripture rings so true, especially on a day like today. Whether you have your admirer and lover or not on this day remember that Jesus Christ loved you first. God loved you so much that He sent His one and only son to die for us. Whatever you are feeling on this day, pore out your heart to Him, He is there for you, He will comfort you.
Works cited:
Gavan I 2022, Online Source, https://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day/history-of-valentines-day-2, date accessed 14/02/2022.
Short Bio: Hi I’m Cath, I love Jesus Christ. I am married to Robert and we have two sons Ezekiel and Gabriel. I am passionate about evangelism, discipleship, and missions. I am thankful that SATS equipped me while being a missionary and later serving within my local church. I started and completed my Bachelor degree in the mission field in remote unreached areas of South Sudan. After our son Ezekiel came into our lives I started my Masters degree with SATS. Two years later Gabriel came into our lives. Studying, being a wife, and full-time mum was challenging but my husband encouraged me and supported me. In September 2019 I successfully passed my masters and now I feel called to use the experience and knowledge I have to equip others.
