God's Valentines

Retail stores try but they can’t do it. Heart-printed silk boxers or Valentine’s Ale can’t change the fact that Valentine’s Day is all about women.

It will always be about women because we are the ones craving love. Craving romance. Guys should get a holiday called Deference Day, where all the women in their lives respectfully defer to them for one day. We’d serve them bacon and steak and beer for all three meals, listen to their ideas and say, “Wow! That’s great!”, rub their feet while they watch sports, cheer for them while they shoot a wild animal, then finish the day off in bed. Can you imagine how happy they’d be? The whole world would get the day off.

But until then we are left with Valentine’s Day. And  no matter how hard we try, Valentine’s Day will continue to be about the men showing love, romance, and affection to the women. Women love it.

Except for the ones who don’t have men. 

Or the ones who have men mean as snakes. 

My original post for today was a shortened version of our story, When God Broke My Heart. It’s a joy for me to re-read because it reminds me of God’s faithfulness, and of my man who still holds my heart 9 years later. He continues to romance my heart and there’s no one I’d rather spend my life with than him.

But I believe the spotlight belongs somewhere else today.

On the women for whom God has a special love.  God’s Valentines.

What is a Valentine anyway?

val·en·tine

 [val-uhn-tahyn] noun: a sweetheart chosen or greeted on this day.

Who has God chosen today to shower with His love? All of us, in some measure. We each woke up with breath in our lungs, a heart that beats, and a roof over our head. Whether or not someone was beside us in bed we all received the gift of His love this day. And I’d venture to say He will lavish all His children with grace-gifts today if we look closely and pick them out in the details of our life.

What if, today, we accepted the fact that this day is all about women? A day to show women they are loved beyond measure? Sure, it’d be wonderful if our husbands took us out to dinner, but what if Valentine’s Day could impact the world in a greater way? 

I must admit, I spent this morning in tears because of a broken heart. 

Why? Because there are millions of women starving for the love–any love–and do not know the measureless love of Jesus Christ. Will you watch this with me?

I believe with every ounce of my being that God has a special love for women. Throughout His word, over and over and over, we find His special care for the widow, the fatherless, the orphan. He took special care of Ruth, a widow, left destitute and picking up leftover grain in the fields. He took care of Rahab, a prostitute, who’s backstory we do not know but God blessed her with favor. And Jesus Christ himself, in his last moments on the cross, ensured that his own mother would be cared for after His death.

But God isn’t the only one giving women attention.

The enemy gives them plenty of attention as well. He wants nothing more than to destroy the crown of God’s creation. The wondrous creatures who reflect the beauty of God. And his diabolic work is alive and well, especially in Asia, today. Consider these stats:

• Young girls throughout Asia are ravenously abducted and forced into a life of prostitution with every agonizing day one step closer to an early death from AIDS.
• Widows in India bear the blame for their husband’s death. They’re shunned by their communities, rejected by their families and forced into an inhumane lifestyle. Tens of thousands take their own life just to end the pain.
• Every year in India more than 7,000 women are doused with kerosene and burned to death—by their husbands. The wife’s crime: an insufficient dowry.

It is no surprise that the suicide rate among young women in India is ten times higher than the world’s average.

And these are the women God loves. I wonder if, today, we might consider blessing THEM with a Valentine’s Gift. The gift of prayer. The gift of hope. $30 sends a female-missionary to tell them about Christ. $85 gives them a sewing machine so they can be freed from the ravages of poverty and oppression. 

If anything, please just be aware of the beautiful women in our world who want to be loved and romanced just as much as you do. 

Let’s ask God if perhaps He would use us to love them…

{You are loved. Happy Valentine’s Day and thanks for reading…}

—

*Also, looking for ways to give more to women like these? Wednesday, Feb. 15th, 6pm in Beaverton, I’m doing a workshop called Faithfully Frugal, easy ways to steward God’s resources and live simply, healthfully, frugally. It’s FREE and includes dinner and childcare. All are welcome, invite your friends. I’d love to see you there!