Mid-February is here and that means the national "day of love" is near. For many, this is the time to buy flowers, cards, boxes of chocolate, and express love in other creative ways to their loved ones. For some, this is just another day, another day to love one another be appreciative to those around them. No boxes of chocolate and flowers included. If you are reading this, and you belong to the second crowd of people, this post is for you!
I am not covering the pagan origins of Valentine's Day, because there are so many people who are already doing that, and I've shared links to their discoveries at the bottom of this post. Check those out after you finish reading! If you read the title of this post, you know I am taking a different approach to combating Valentine's Day this year. In the past, I covered sexual immorality and how it is promoted on this holiday. In the Gregorian year of 2022, I am sharing alternatives to this heart holiday.
How to Celebrate Love Without Celebrating Valentine’s Day
1. LOVE DAYS
This was a fantastic idea I learned from Grace Price (followthenarrowway on Instagram). Days can be scheduled throughout the year to be with a spouse, family, and friends. You can plan dinners, fun activities, vacations, and/or give gifts to each other. The focus is not so much on having certain days, because we should love and honor each other daily, but it will and can help people move away from the cycle and rhythm of Valentine's Day. This is also helpful for people who do not celebrate Christmas.
2. CELEBRATE THE BIBLICAL MONTH OF LOVE
There is a month of love, and it belongs to the Hebrew calendar. The Hebrew month of Elul represents preparation, self-reflection, repentance, forgiveness and love between ourselves, others, and God. Elul is spelled Aleph-Lamed-Vav-Lamed (in Hebrew). This is also the acronym for Ani L’Dodi V’Dodi Li, which translates to, "I am My beloved’s and My beloved is Mine" from Song of Songs 6:3. During this month, many focus on the love of God and His willingness to forgive us as we return to Him. There is no greater love than God's love, when would be a better time to celebrate love, pure love, than during this month?
3. TU B'AV
If you love all things Israel and you embrace the Hebraic roots of the faith, this holiday may intrigue you. Tu B’Av is the day of love in Israel. It lands on the the 15th Day of Av, one month before Elul. It served as a matchmaking day for unmarried women in the Second Temple period (before the fall of Jerusalem). A mention of it is found in in Judges 21:21-23. In modern times, this is a day for weddings, dates, and other get togethers with loved ones. Find out when Tu B'Av begins here.
4. LIVE 1 CORINTHIANS 13 EVERYDAY
The truth is, we do not need specific days of love, and they do not matter if we do not walk in love every other day of the year. Valentine's Day is another opportunity for big businesses to take our money, and promote an immoral and false version of love, and it is all for the love of money, which is evil (1 Timothy 6:10). The world does not know or have love, because the world does not know God (1 John 4:8). There is no real love without God. Instead of falling into this delusion, ask the Father to reveal His love in you every day, and He will do it. Apostle Paul prophesied that, "the love of many will grow cold." When we look around us, this prophecy was not empty. It is important to walk in God's love everyday, so that our love does not grow cold. 1 Corinthians 13 shows us what love is. If we know true love, we will know the true God, because God is love.
That is all I share for now. If you can think other alternatives to Valentine's Day, share below in the comments. I would love to see what my readers come up with it. I hope this post blessed you.
"Love is not found on February fourteenth, love is found in John 3;16."
ORIGINS OF VALENTINE'S DAY
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