Spiritual

Does Valentine’s day make people forget about Jesus love?

by Shahid Khan Valentine’s Day is widely celebrated across the globe to commemorate the tale of love. February 14, every year, is greeted with red roses and cards. Every one is cheered up.

Valentine cards are swapped between the lovers as a gesture of their love. Parties are arranged and the youth flocks to the Valentine’s Dance Parties and passion runs high on this day of the year.

Why is the world mad after the Valentine’s Day? One of my friends asked me lately if I celebrate Valentine’s Day. I replied, “Yes, every day of mine is a Valentine’s Day.”

I do not celebrate it on one day to not remember my love for the rest of the year to those around me. What is the true love that has to be remembered and revered by all of us? Jesus said: “Greater love is no one than this, than to lay down ones life for his friends” (John 15:13)

This is the truest, purest and greatest form of love. Does world all over remember it like Valentine’s Day? I regret to say it does not. Do we ever dance for Jesus who bled for us on the blessed day on the cross to pay for mine as well as the entire world’s sins? Do we ever take roses lying sick in hospitals and nursing homes to give them some hope to live on? Do we ever send cards to tender our apologies to those whom we may have hurt by our vicious attitude? Have we contemplated making even with those with whom we are not even on speaking terms? Do we return sweet words when confronted with provocative speech? If the answer to the questions posed above is in the affirmative may I ask why we celebrate Valentine’s Day?

I would prefer sorting out my differences with my neighbor and get my attitude right with them rather than buying the bouquet of roses for my beloved on the Valentine’s Day. Why the world is placing a greater premium on the Valentine’s Day rather than following the one who loved the world so dearly that He stretched out His hands on the cross and died. Love came into this world but men loved darkness instead of Light because their deeds were evil. I have personally met people on the streets of London who flatly refused the Gospel and cursed the name of Jesus. Ironically enough they would be an enthusiastic presence in the Valentine celebrations. It hurts me immensely to see that they opted for observance of a “Love Tradition” instead of embracing the True Love.

Love that gets you eternal love

The love we live in today makes demands on us; be that a love for a beloved, love for our family or love for our country. Each kind of love makes demands on the lovers however the Love God has for us makes no demands on us. It rather graces us with a gift, which is not sold in the biggest shopping malls of the world. No purse or pocket can pay for it. Eternal life is a gift of God, which comes through Jesus Christ. Apostle Paul in his epistle to Romans says: “The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

How about giving the gift of eternal life on this Valentine Day? Let’s be different than others? How about sharing and learning the greatest love of all man, who laid down His life for all of us. Love who bled, Love who suffered, Love who died and the Love who rose again to reign for ever and ever more.

Would you like to taste His love? After having tasted the Love of Jesus, I bet, you will follow in the footsteps of Greatest Lover of Mankind, i.e. Jesus Christ.