Lovely Musings

That special day is coming around again.

This is the day you will show gratitude for the person God has blessed you with.

While I subscribe to the notion that every day that ends in d-a-y compels us to show love toward that special someone, there’s nothing wrong with having that day set apart.

And no, Valentine's Day is not Lupercalia. The holiday we know today didn't exist until the 14th century.

People in the Hebrew Roots movement—which I have shied away from because of their lack of love many times—like to offer the notion that every modern holiday has pagan roots.

Roman people sacrificing goats and dancing around with nothing on in no way resemble today's Valentine's Day.

To say that is deceptive at best.

With that out of the way, I want to focus on what it means to love your wife as Christ loved the church.

My distaste for egalitarianism doesn't diminish my respect for women. May it never be!

Jesus Himself talked with women in public and made men marvel when women were less than men.

God has never seen women as worth less than men.

He has an authority structure, which means the man leads and the woman follows.

It's like Christ and the church.

He is our head, and we follow Him because of His station and love for us.

Sadly, today, this idea jumps to extreme levels. Please look at the manosphere, which is feminism for men. I always found it ridiculous. To become the thing you despise.

I'm not a feminist, nor am I whatever it is these guys think they are.

I'm a biblicist. That means I follow God's ideas for men and women.

Since we aren't animals, God expects us to treat our fellow people with dignity and love.

Women are just as much inheritors of human nature as men are. While God created men in His image and women are the glory of man, thus also reflecting God's attributes, it befits a saint and follower of Jesus to reflect on the beauty of love.

God created love and the desire for women to be valued as beautiful things.

Marriage is a successful reflection of that.

Although I am addressing this as a man, sisters in Christ might find it relatable.

Think about the songs written throughout history. Many of them remind me of the words of Agur from Proverbs 30:18–19. "...the way of a man with a maiden."

The Song of Solomon is a great example of one of King Solomon's many songs. It’s a love poem about his 141st wife (strange, I know).

In it, we see the blossoming love of a young couple.

We also see that God isn't a prudish being. Some of the content in this book is ‌explicit, especially if you understand Middle Eastern euphemisms.

While I'm writing from the perspective of a man, it also shows the woman's desire for her lover.

God created that desire for women in men. And it’s a fascinating mystery.

God made humanity so complex and beautiful.

Loving another is to give of yourself.

Loving a woman is to emulate Christ and His desire for His bride, the church.

He loved the lost House of Israel and the entire world so much that He offered Himself in our place.

It’s the love story to end every love story.

And if you're not ready to do this for your wife, you're not loving as He loved.

Romance is a wonderful thing; God created it thus.

As a man of God, you must die to the flesh and to yourself.

Valentine's Day can be a time when many people feel depressed and lonely, and God forbid, suicidal.

But God writes the best love stories.

Sometimes that partner isn’t coming on your schedule. God has a time and a place for everything.

Perhaps the single bar or dating apps aren’t the right approach.

He’s the Master of the Universe. Do you think He can’t get you and your intended one in the same room together at the right time?

In Hebraic thought, there’s a concept called bashert. Your destiny, your soulmate. It isn’t some New Age concept or Platonic philosophical idea.

God is in the matchmaking business. It’s what He did at the dawn of humanity, forming Eve from Adam’s rib.

Without that missing piece, Adam would have stayed incomplete.

The best thing to do is to pray for the chance to cross paths with your bashert. It will likely be on God’s perfect schedule, rather than yours, but even if you have to wait 15 years, it will be worth it. That doesn’t mean you’ll wait that long, but God isn’t in a hurry.

Besides, don’t you aspire to be the best version of yourself before you meet them?

To heal past hurts and grow, get your finances in line, etc.?

Those relationships that failed in the past, or the ones you thought you needed, are nothing compared to the person God has for you.

Sometimes love works better the second time around. There are lots of divorcees who were in a toxic relationship that think that they may never find someone.

That’s preposterous.

God answers your prayers and knows your heart’s desires.

He fixes all things, making them flourish in their time.

So, this Valentine’s Day, thank God for the blessings He has given to you.

If you have a spouse, love them with divine gratitude.

If you don’t, know that God has a plan.

But most of all, realize that God invented love, and love is one virtue that makes the universe an interesting place.