True Love on Valentine's Day

It’s easy to get cynical about Valentine's Day. It’s a required date night that often can feel artificial and meaningless. It feeds into our consumerist culture by requiring us to purchase cards, flowers and/or chocolates. The whole thing seems to get a bum rap by a lot of men, and often rightly so.

But there’s nothing wrong with celebrating "eros," which is what C.S. Lewis and many others have called the love that God gave men and women at the beginning of time. It’s a special and unique form of love, much different from the love we have for our families, friends and even our children. It’s a love that, when done correctly, is designed to reflect the relationship between Christ and his church.

I’m trying to see Valentine's Day not as a shallow excuse to boost flower sales, but as a reminder to step into the servant-leader role that mirrors the way Christ interacts with us, His people. It’s something that we should be doing every day, but it’s nice to have an evening where we specifically focus on this role and this relationship.

That means Valentine's Day will look different for every man, because every woman wants something different. Some women want the chocolate, the flowers and the romantic movie (if that’s the case, check out our Chick Flick Survival Guide for some fun and helpful tips). Some women don’t care as much for those things, they might just want a break from the kids or a nice quiet talk. Whatever the case, as servant-leaders we need to understand and meet those needs, just as Jesus understands and meets ours.