Sunday’s Blessing – 02/09/2025 – Valentine’s Week

Sunday’s Blessing – 02/09/2025 – Valentine’s Week

More is said about “love” during the next few days than just about the rest of the year combined. Mostly, it is for marketing all the gifts of chocolate, roses, jewelry, and lingerie, candlelight dinners, romantic getaways, and heart-shaped everythings. In the proper context, there is no problem with any of these things, but none of it represents what love should be about.

The issue is with our language. We use “love” for everything. We love our car. We love our house. We love our sports team. We love to take walks in the park. We love our children. We love our spouse. We love our friends. English makes us very lazy in expressing emotion. “Love” is an easy out. After expressing our feelings for just about everything by saying we “love it,” it leaves us at a loss when we truly want to tell someone we deeply care for them.

Other languages make this much easier. Greek, for instance, has eight distinct words which English interprets as love. They are eros (erotic, romantic, passionate), philia (friendship), ludus (carefree, playful), philautia (self-love), pragma (long-term, committed, compassionate), storge (deep, pure, long-term – familial), mania (obsessive), and agape (selfless, unconditional). It's easy to identify how the English word for love has been so widely applied. That’s why there is so much confusion introduced when someone says, “I love you.”

This Valentine’s Day, choose other words besides “I love you” to convey how you feel toward others. It can make all the difference.

Now, for today’s blessing.

May you experience the pure love of the Father (agape – selfless, unconditional)

So you may in turn show it to others

Because you are His workmanship, created for good works

Sent to manifest God’s love in your world

May you find language to express your feelings properly to others

So they may understand how much you care for them

Sparking in them a reciprocity which can grow into something beautiful

Be it a friendship or lifetime relationship

May you draw strength from and increase your capacity for true love

By pressing into your relationship with the Father

Drawing His love-life into yours to overwhelm and wash away any hurts

So that only your healed, made-whole self remains

May you begin to reap a harvest of true love

As you allow relational seeds to be planted in this new heart

Created by the softening of grace and forgiveness

So that you become a flourishing life-giving fragrant bouquet of love