Wednesday, February 10, 2010

The silent Valentine rush

I think it was last week when the subject of what-are-you-going-to-do-on-Valentine's-Day popped up over lunch. The guys eating with me on the table were at first hesitant to share their plans, but I was too stubborn to be stopped from asking.

I had the impression, of course, that the reason why for the past few days we've been eating at our favorite carinderia, and not in more expensive fastfood restaurants at the mall, is mainly this: they're saving up. For roses. For a special date at some fine dining restaurant. You know, the drill. There had to be something going on in their testosterone-driven minds.

They didn't go into specifics, but the general idea was that they would take their girlfriends out on a date. I could imagine they've already thought of where to get dinner reservations. One mentioned that he didn't want to eat out with the rest on the world on the 14th, so he's doing it a day earlier. I thought that was smart.

This afternoon, I asked my lady seatmates if their boyfriends are taking them out on Valentine's (until now, it still amazes me how many in class are involved in romantic relationships, a stark contrast to my undergrad peers). They didn't know, they said, and their men weren't the type who'd give out surprises. I sensed a tone of "but-I-hope-they-would" at the end of their answers.

All this talk about Valentine's leaves a rather corny taste in my mouth. It's not just my thing, precisely because I've never been there, I've never done that.

With all this silent, secretive rush for the upcoming February 14, I've been blessed by what Sharmie Quezon (Anna to many) shared during our lunchtime Bible study.  The topic couldn't have been more timely. She talked about how deep God's love is for us.

Her main points:
  • God's love is costly and extravagant. (1 John 3:1, 1 John 4:9)
  • God's love is unconditional. (Romans 5:8, Ephesians 2:4,5)
  • God's love is limitless. (Romans 8:35,57, 1 John 4:7)
It was a reminder of what love truly is. God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on our behalf. We are all wretched sinners, unworthy of God's love. And yet, He loves us so. Not because we deserve it, but because God simply chose to. God's love then becomes more glorious when we see it in the backdrop of our sinfulness (Romans 3:23).

Before we find ourselves lost with eating in romantic candle-lit dinners or giving out bundled floral ornaments, my prayer is that God would cause our hearts to seek Him, the fountain from which true love springs, for Jesus Christ is God's love revealed and personified.

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