As I write this, Valentine’s Day is less than a week away. Actually, my first sighting of its approach was shortly after Christmas almost two months ago! The pink and red was quickly in place throughout retail stores as the red and green items were slashed to 75% off. Every holiday has its recognizable colors. Have you ever noticed that?
What is love? Can you really just recognize it once a year on a cold day in February? I don’t think so. Love is a 24/7 experience that grows with time and age. I am a student of marriage. Since it came to us so late in life, I have a lot to experience and learn. At this time, most of our married friends are celebrating 30 or more years of holy matrimony. We haven’t even hit the three-year mark at age 55! It is an exciting time, and it feels like a long extended honeymoon (most of the time!).
I recently joined a “14-Day Romancing your Husband Challenge.” As I read through the suggestions based on a book I am also reading, How to Be the Woman of His Dreams, by Sharon Jaynes, I thought I already do a lot of those things for my husband. She talks about giving your husband your BEST. Bless him, Edify him, Share with him, and Touch him. What a simple and succinct way to remember how to love your husband. Another quote from the book I could take to the bank in my marriage is: “make the most of the best, and the least of the worst.” Shouldn’t we do that with every aspect of our life? That is my goal while living on this planet!
Some of you might ask: “How do I live like that? Give my husband my BEST, focus on the positive, and minimize the negative?” It really is impossible to do in our own power. But nothing is impossible with God! He tells us what love is. You may have read a Bible passage from 1 Corinthians 13 at your very own wedding. Let’s look at it with fresh hearts:
- Love is patient and kind.
- Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude.
- Love does not demand its own way.
- Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.
- Love does not rejoice about injustice, but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.
- Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
Take a love inventory each day using the above criteria, and see that your life and your heart are fuller as a result. And remember to live like every day is Valentine’s Day—that is what my husband tells me!