It's that time of year again! A day where couples celebrate their relationships. Meanwhile single people like me can either accept that or wallow in their loneliness. I'll admit, I used to be somewhat bitter about the day. I would hide it by joking about singles awareness day. Now...it still hasn't hit me yet. Maybe it's because I'm worried about other things like not having a job yet. Maybe it's because I haven't been around as many girls lately due to moving back home where I don't really have much of a social life. My social life back home is just my church, and there just isn't really any single woman my age that I'm interested in.
I used to feel sad on this day. Now, if I'm sad, it's for a different reason than being single. In any case, I am happy for those who are in happy relationships. Whether they are a dating couple, engaged, or married, I hope they have a fun day.
This holiday is considered a holiday for couples in the United States. It might be celebrated this way in many countries, though it could be celebrated differently in other countries. For example, in Japan and Korea, this is a day where women give chocolate to men. They may put in effort to make chocolate for men they love, or they can buy chocolate and give obligatory ones to male acquaintances. Men return the favor the next month on White Day where they give chocolate or other gifts to the women. In the US, there are a variety of ways to celebrate. People usually go on dates, couples exchange gifts, and people can be more creative with what they do. It's not limited to girls giving chocolate.
While our culture knows this day as a day for couples, many people don't actually know who Saint Valentine is. One legend says that he was a first century priest who defied an order emperor Claudius. The order prevented soldiers from marrying because the emperor thought staying single would mean the soldiers would fight better. Valentine secretly married couples so that soldiers would not have to go to war. There was another legend where he went to prison for not worshiping pagan gods. While in prison, he shared his testimony and prayed for people. While there, he prayed for the jailer's daughter, and her blindness was healed. On the day of his execution, he left a note signed "Your Valentine."
Valentine was a man who lived for God. He was martyred because he loved God. He continued to minister while in prison. I want to see this day as a day to celebrate a man who loved God. While it being seen as a day for couples won't change, I can change my attitude of this day. It's probably easier now that I don't really hang around women my age, but that shouldn't be the reason. It should be a day where I celebrate it because I know that I love God. I'm sure that if I had other friends around, I could celebrate it by hanging out with friends. For now, I pray that I can meditate on Him, just as Saint Valentine lived his life for God.
Until next time,
Kenneth
