Hearts All Over the World Tonight
Happy belated Valentine's day, everyone!
Sorry for the lack of post this entire week. It has been semi-midterm season-ish time, since all the big papers have been due as of late. I've been really tired, and got sick earlier this week. I'm feeling much better after some rest, and so hello!
How has everyone been? I hope that Valentine's day was kind to you, despite all this crazy rain situation in usually-sunny Southern California. I spent my Valentine's day with some of the girls at church, and we made chocolates! Some of them tasted horrible, but they came out very cute :)
I know that it can get hard at times for the single ladies who want to feel loved, but don't seem to be able to receive it in the form of a romantic partner. Romantic love is just different, you know? Familial love is just kind of... set. You can't really change who you are related to, and that's that. Friendly love can be shared among many people. While each friendship is special, and some friendships are stronger than others, they're not... exclusive. Love for ourselves can mean a lot of things, and even as a confident person who knows we are perfect made in God's image, loving ourselves can get a little lonely. Agape (unconditional) love from God is supposed to be able to help us as Christians get through all tough times, because we know He loves us so much that He allowed the scandal of grace. And not only that, but when it comes to things However... let's be honest. We can focus on that on a regular day, but it doesn't always stave us over during Valentine's day. Valentine's day is a real stumbling block for some of us!
At least during the Christmas holidays, there are things on sale other than "Baby It's Cold Outside" mugs; the lovey dovey pink and red hearts and smooches everywhere are impossible to avoid for Valentine's day. Flower prices shoot up, making buying pity flowers for ourselves too pricey to consider, and everyone know we can't even buy therapy chocolates until the day after!
To be completely honest, I don't really know if there is a "cure" for this Valentine's sickness, other than to be okay with being single. It's one thing to have confidence in God, that if it i in His will, someone will come along, so in the meantime, we just have to focus on ourselves and our friends and family. It isn't a simple as it sounds, because emotions are weird, and they kind of control bits and pieces of our life, even when we acknowledge that it's irrational. The most important thing when we feel this way is to look to God and your friends and family. Obviously, at this time, looking inward can cause a lot of emotional distress: "Am I just not good enough? Am I not pretty/handsome enough? Smart enough? Etc." It is okay to have these thoughts, but they can become pretty toxic and consuming. Let out these emotions and frustrations - pray, cry out to God. Meditate on gratitude, and count the good things going on in your life :) You are more than worth it, and good things take time, and are worth waiting for.