Yes, that's right... Valentine's Day! Those that know me best, know my feelings about Valentine's Day and I'll just leave it at that! Valentine's started for me on Sunday night. Two guys from church hosted a "Valentine's Day Blowout" complete with red carpet and chocolate fountain! The night started off with eating and some dancing and then turned into a CC (controversial conversation) on relationships among guys and girls and "Christian dating." My friends know that I am opinionated about-well, everything-but especially this topic. So I tried to keep my mouth shut and just listen to others viewpoints. People made interesting points. A lot that I agreed with, some that I didn't, but I listened to them. They didn't really change my views at all though. I'm stubborn like that! But it was a great night of friends and fellowship and real conversations.
Monday was the big day... I woke up around 8 and checked my phone and had a sweet message from my dad. It definitely made me smile. Then, I rolled back over and went back to sleep for a while! Sometimes a girl just needs to sleep in! The rest of my day was pretty uneventful. Got some more texts from friends and just hung out. That night I got back to my house a little after midnight and there was a beautiful bouquet of flowers sitting on the counter (which was a little creepy at first because I didn't know my dad had a key to the house, but after I got over that it was really sweet!) So Valentine's Day was a success!
While we're on the topic on Valentine's Day and love, I read an article this week in the Huffington Post called Why You're Not Married by Tracy McMillan. Well, for all intents and purposes, Miss McMillan is not a Christian and this article is not approached from a Biblical perspective. But marriage is Biblical and God uses all things to speak to His children--even if they don't listen or don't know it's God speaking to them.
(Sidenote: Why does society-or the church-act so surprised about the divorce rate? If God IS love, why do we expect two people who don't have a relationship with Him to have successful relationships with others? How can two people claim to love each other if they don't know what love is-who love is?)
So anyway, back to the article, while her intentions are misguided, she makes some great points. Like points that make me want to grab her by the shoulders and shake her and say, "can't you hear God speaking to you and trying to get your attention?!" After coming up with some bogus categories as to why a woman isn't married, she gives advice as to how to have a successful marriage. She says that, "...ultimately, marriage is not about getting something -- it's about giving it." and later that, "the bottom line is that marriage is just a long-term opportunity to practice loving someone even when they don't deserve it."
Well, if that doesn't say laying down your own rights and extending grace, then I don't know what does! I know that I'm not married or even in anything that slightly resembles a relationship, so I'll be the first to say that I'm not an expert in this area. But I will say don't bother reading the article. (Maybe I should have said that earlier...) Why are you not married? Proverbs 19:21. "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." Thankfully, God's will for our lives is so much bigger and better than anything that we could have planned for ourselves! Trust in His unfailing love and run wholeheartedly after Him. Gives me a whole new outlook on Valentine's Day...
Monday was the big day... I woke up around 8 and checked my phone and had a sweet message from my dad. It definitely made me smile. Then, I rolled back over and went back to sleep for a while! Sometimes a girl just needs to sleep in! The rest of my day was pretty uneventful. Got some more texts from friends and just hung out. That night I got back to my house a little after midnight and there was a beautiful bouquet of flowers sitting on the counter (which was a little creepy at first because I didn't know my dad had a key to the house, but after I got over that it was really sweet!) So Valentine's Day was a success!
While we're on the topic on Valentine's Day and love, I read an article this week in the Huffington Post called Why You're Not Married by Tracy McMillan. Well, for all intents and purposes, Miss McMillan is not a Christian and this article is not approached from a Biblical perspective. But marriage is Biblical and God uses all things to speak to His children--even if they don't listen or don't know it's God speaking to them.
(Sidenote: Why does society-or the church-act so surprised about the divorce rate? If God IS love, why do we expect two people who don't have a relationship with Him to have successful relationships with others? How can two people claim to love each other if they don't know what love is-who love is?)
So anyway, back to the article, while her intentions are misguided, she makes some great points. Like points that make me want to grab her by the shoulders and shake her and say, "can't you hear God speaking to you and trying to get your attention?!" After coming up with some bogus categories as to why a woman isn't married, she gives advice as to how to have a successful marriage. She says that, "...ultimately, marriage is not about getting something -- it's about giving it." and later that, "the bottom line is that marriage is just a long-term opportunity to practice loving someone even when they don't deserve it."
Well, if that doesn't say laying down your own rights and extending grace, then I don't know what does! I know that I'm not married or even in anything that slightly resembles a relationship, so I'll be the first to say that I'm not an expert in this area. But I will say don't bother reading the article. (Maybe I should have said that earlier...) Why are you not married? Proverbs 19:21. "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." Thankfully, God's will for our lives is so much bigger and better than anything that we could have planned for ourselves! Trust in His unfailing love and run wholeheartedly after Him. Gives me a whole new outlook on Valentine's Day...
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