(This week we welcome Jon-Jon Ignacio to our Ponderings page. May his call to consider what love is all about enrich our celebration of love.)
Ah, yes. Love is in the air. A few days from now it will be Valentine’s Day once again. The time of the year when retail stores are decked out in different shades of red and pink. The time of the year when restaurants are booked with reservations and filled with more crowds than you can shake a stick at. Flower shops’ revenues skyrocket as it’s their busiest season of the year next to Mother’s Day. Kids at school and folks at work hand out and/or exchange little Valentine cards and candies; little heart-shaped confectioneries in all sorts of pastel colors that usually have a phrase embossed on them. Phrases like “Be Mine”, “Will You Be My Valentine?”, “True Love”, “I heart U”, and the like. And of course, it’s time when lovers give gifts that express their feelings and affection to their significant other. Valentine’s Day is celebrated by lovers all across the world. What better time to express your love than this very time of the year? So what’s wrong with the warm fuzzy-wuzzy things we do during V-day? Absolutely nothing. I actually enjoy making a special dinner for my wife and handing her a bouquet of flowers.
Sadly though, it’s also the time of the year when broken hearts come about. Some say it’s the worst time of the year for breakups. We hear stories and may have watched movies that don’t end with “happily-ever-after”. I’m reminded of a story of a friend of mine whose long-time relationship with his girlfriend came to an end. He had hopes of marriage with this girl. But unfortunately, it just didn’t work out. In spite of the tragic loss he experienced, he rekindled his relationship with the one true love that he’s always had: Jesus. He found hope during a time of hopelessness. The loss he experienced actually drew him closer to the one true love that always has been and will be there. His relationship with Christ had grown fonder than ever before.
That story struck a chord in me. I’m reminded of how the world views love, compared to the love that God has for us through His Son. It made me think of what I set my mind on: that which is temporary or that which is eternal? (Colossians 3:2, 2 Corinthians 4:18). This world can offer love but many times it’s temporary, conditional, and fragile. But God’s love is eternal. It’s never failing, always protects, hopes, trust, and perseveres (1 Corinthians 13:7-8). As we celebrate “all hearts day”, let’s be reminded of the one true love that is in our precious Jesus Christ. His love is for eternity.
—Jon-Jon Ignacio