Before I begin this article, I’d like to share a little bit of praise report. Thanks be to God because my skin allergy subsided leaving no trace or permanent marks on my skin. (Yay! Thank You, Lord. ❤️)

When I have an eczema attack, I usually have “battle scars” after the episode – dark spots take about 6 months before they lighten up. Yes, you can imagine a human Dalmatian when you see me. 😁

Our January may have been a bit of a rollercoaster ride with bad news everywhere around the globe. But we all rise above any adversity, right?

That’s all part of human nature – we fall, we rise. If we keep on falling, then we just keep on getting up and moving forward for as long as we breathe.

Welcoming February

I believe February and all the coming months this year are meant to be cherished along with those who are dear to us once an opportunity to do so becomes available. The January events are all a reminder that indeed, our lives here in this world are nothing more but short and fleeting.

Valentine’s Day

The Norwegian Couple 😍

My second sister and her husband from Norway were scheduled to visit the Philippines this month. And I sensed my bro-in-law was up to something. 😃

Hubby and I usually don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day lavishly because every day, for me, is a chance to show your love for others and not just on February 14.

I’m also against the commercialization of this celebration urging couples to look beyond material gifts as the only way of expressing true love. Though giving and receiving gifts are included in the different types of love languages, I believe love is something way deeper than that.

For one, love has to be a commitment. It goes beyond the daily “I love yous” we tell our partners. It is more about saying “I love you” when it’s too difficult to say it i. e. during an argument, after an offense, while in a painful situation, etc.

What Is Love?

Love is also about being selfless all the time. How far have we gone our way to do something for our loved ones? When we get tired, there is a tendency to complain. We see things from our own perspective only and regard situations as unfair. That is because we fail to remember that love has to be selfless, which is putting the needs of others before our own.

I can go on and on about what love is other than cute stuffed toys and lovely bouquets. There is nothing wrong with them being given as gifts, but the thought behind those gifts always and should matter more than the gifts themselves.

Love Languages

But here’s the catch. If your partner’s primary love language is giving gifts, by all means, let him or her be. Then lovingly express your gratitude when you receive them to make sure their efforts are appreciated. What always matters, anyway, is what will make your partner happy in the long haul.

So, our beloved spouses still went out of their way to surprise us with Valentine’s Day dinner and lovely roses even if we told them there’s no need. 😉

Love’s Deeper Meaning

I told my husband that the simple acts of love he does for me every single day outweigh any future gifts I’ll receive from him during Valentine’s Day. But since his love language is giving gifts, I assured him that every gift is well appreciated and well treasured.

My 6-year old preserved rose.

I actually preserved the first Valentine’s Day rose hubby gave me back when we’re still dating. I told him it’s my way of appreciating his efforts and placing a sentimental value on the gift. Unfortunately, it’s just impossible to preserve all the flowers I receive from him so it will probably be the first and last preserved rose. 😃

God’s Definition Of Love

When it comes to defining love, I follow God’s definition of it through His Word:

1 Corinthians 13

“1  If I speak in the tongues[1] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3  If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[2] but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 

12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

Love may be romantic to some, but to others, it can be painful. Love can bring destruction, and yet it also offers salvation. Love can be a sweet aroma, but it can also sting.

Whatever our experiences of love may be, we can all agree that at one point, it did change our lives for the better. 🙂

Saved by the love of God,