What is Love???

 
Valentine's Day, and many people are celebrating and making a big deal out of this day.  Lots of money is spent on flowers and chocolates and cards, dinners and special nights planned throughout the world.

Then there is me.

I have often said that I seem to be completely different from the norm.  What others love and find exciting, I often don't like or find nothing interesting about it.

And so here we are.   I won't say that I have something against Valentine's Day, I just find the whole thing ridiculous and way overrated.

My husband and I have never really celebrated it, we tell each other "I Love You" daily.  We give each other little gifts throughout the year and we never let a day go by without letting the other know how important and loved they are.

I guess I find today pointless, because it's just a day like any other.

Please don't think that I'm condemning those who enjoy it and go all out, I'm merely speaking for myself.

Every Wednesday, Nooma puts out a new video by Rob Bell, who I admire and respect.  The videos have always blessed me and taught me so many wonderful things, they've really opened my eyes to certain things.

Because of Valentine's Day, yesterdays video had even more meaning, and I encourage you to take few minutes to watch Flame.



It makes me ponder about my marriage and the relationship I have with my husband.  I'm so blessed to be able to say that we share all 3 kinds of flames.

Each component that we have is a small flame. Some people may just settle for the Dod flame in their relationship. Well, this is only a small piece of the whole of love. We can keep coming back to this flame but alone it never really satisfies. Our souls ache for more. The key is to have all three flames burning as one big flame. This big flame can warm our soul and satisfy us. Anything less is less than what we were intended for. The good news is that if you are in a relationship and one of these three ingredients is missing you can still, many times, light the flames by focusing on them. 

One other thing that this video brought to light, was the word love.  What it means, what is it, and why do we use it so much?

I am shamefully guilty of doing it.  I tell my husband and children that I love them, and that is fine, but then I also throw around the word love associated with a pair of jeans, or a movie, or a food item.  I love this, no I LOVE LOVE this.

It really has become the most misused and misunderstood word in the vocabulary and it certainly loses it's meaning over time.  I am SO guilty of this, oh boy, am I ever.

So I'm forcing myself to dig deep, and only apply the word love to what really matters.

But God wired us a certain way to experience all that love was really meant to be. Not to hold us back or to make us miss out on the best life has to offer. God created love, and wants us to feel it all in the way it's meant to be felt. - Rob Bell

What am I doing today?  How am I celebrating Valentine's Day?

I'm not celebrating, it's a normal day like any other, and when my husband walks through that door, he will wrap me in his arms, give me a big kiss, tell me he loves me and then grab the kids and tell them he loves them, give them bear hugs and so on.

It's nothing out of the ordinary, it's just our normal routine.  I am so happy and thankful that I can live surrounded by love, but even more happy that my children are growing up in this same environment.

Happy Love Day everyone, enjoy it, but remember what it really means, and when tomorrow comes, continue showing your loved ones how much they mean to you, and then do it every single day of your life, don't wait a whole other year.