It is Valentine’s, time for cards, flowers, chocolates, and dinner out. Time to express love and caring. Time to say, “I love you.”

But then, when isn’t it time to show love and caring? Cards and gifts are mandated by culture on this special day.
For many, they are necessary in order to maintain the status quo in a relationship, to avoid having a major confrontation.

But, they are not necessary to express love.

                                     God tells us how to show love and caring in 1 Corinthians 13.

Love:

• is patient,
• is kind
• is not jealous;
• does not brag
• is not arrogant,
• does not act unbecomingly;
• does not seek its own,
• is not provoked,
• does not take into account a wrong suffered,
• does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
• bears all things,
• believes all things,
• hopes all things,
• endures all things.

Love never fails;      (1 Cor. 13:4-8, NAU)

Our efforts to say, “I love you,” through Valentine’s are empty if we do not express God’s love throughout the year. I’d like to adapt the preceding verses to illustrate my point. All italicized words are my substitutions in the verses to relate the verse more directly to our Valentine’s Day efforts.

If I give cards filled with flowery words of endearment; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, my words mean nothing.

And if I give flowers, chocolates, and a romantic dinner out, laying aside all my plans to be with the one I love, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. (1 Cor. 13:2-3 adapted).

Cards are thrown away or put away. Flowers die. Chocolates and romantic dinners are soon gone. In contrast, “faith, hope, and love abide (endure), but the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13:13).

As we celebrate Valentine’s this weekend, let’s strive for consistent enduring love.