Happy Valentine’s Day! Oh yes, that “special” day that we set aside in our calendars every year to celebrate love and romance. The trouble is, you’re a loner single. You don’t have a partner or even a friend of the opposite sex who is willing to be seen in public with you today, just in case the rumour mill goes into overdrive people jump to the wrong conclusion. That’s right, today is the day – above all other days – that reminds you that you are single. Whoopee, let’s celebrate!
To ease the pain, the first thing you do when you wake up is update your Facebook status with “Happy Singles Awareness Day” and for the rest of the day you put on a brave face because after all, you’re content, enjoying the freedom of your singleness. As you’ve not got a date tonight (and you’re pretty glad that you didn’t waste money on a fancy meal) you invite your fellow singles over for a cheeky mid-week curry and XBOX/chick-flick (because after all, it’s almost a National holiday) before climbing into your cold, empty bed. And, as you lay awake, contemplating the events of the day, you might start to wonder why no one—perhaps not even God himself—loves you.
The truth is, today, Valentine’s Day, can be incredibly hard for singles. There are not only the external pressures that relate to issues of worth, identity, and security but there are inner struggles that confuse things too. Struggles that rob people of joy and contentment and can, in some cases turn to bitterness and envy.
If you’re a Christian single today I want you to preach some gospel truth to yourself today and fight for your joy in Christ:
You Are Loved
Simple. God loves you with an everlasting love. Does that shock you? It probably should. There is an embarrassment attached to a holy God embracing so closely a wicked and rebellious people. His love for you is completely without merit, without restriction, and without end. It’s so easy to feel unloved when you’re single but here’s some great news to preach to yourself today: “you are loved, you are loved, you are loved, it’s true, it’s true, it’s true!”
You Are Not Alone
The second gospel truth I want you to preach to yourself today is the fact that you are not never alone. God has intended for you to be in a loving, intimate, joyful and satisfying relationship with Him. You are not alone. Meditate on it. God, who has never lacked anything, ever, and has always been in a loving, supporting, unifying relationship with his triune self from all eternity, and is surrounded on all sides by myriads of angels praising him day and night wants to be in a relationship with you!
Greater Joy is Coming
A word of caution here: don’t look for that thing in a person what you can only gain in Christ. Jesus, and Jesus alone can satisfy the longing of your heart. In fact, Jesus is jealous for that love. and so, even though today is a bit of a downer, and for some it’s a real struggle, can I encourage you to hope in something better that can be gained today? You see every experience, if offered to Jesus, can be your gateway to greater joy. When we talk about Jesus meeting your needs, we’re not only talking about salvation. He came to give life and life in it’s fullness and the truth is you may never find a partner but you’ve always got Jesus!
Here’s my prayer for you today:
I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
Ephesians 3:14-19
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