“I [The Lord] have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” (Jeremiah 31:3)

Valentine’s Day is upon us once again, and Cupid’s arrows are flying! This holiday is celebrated by those in love (and by those who love romance) and spurned by those who are single. However, in recent years, I’ve seen a rise in Galentine’s Day events, and I even coordinated one myself last year, to celebrate some of the wonderful women in my life. I applaud all those who have decided not to let Valentine’s Day define them by their relationship status.

For many years, I did not enjoy Valentine’s Day. Even when I was married, it was not a holiday I looked forward to due to the pressure that I put on myself—to find the perfect gift that expressed my love, to arrange a nice dinner out (knowing there would be a crowd, and I don’t like crowds), or to prepare a lovely dinner at home—an exhausting undertaking. As a single person, the pressure has disappeared, but reminders of my singleness are everywhere this time of year.

With so much love in the air, my thoughts turn to God’s love for us. One of the most well-known verses in the Bible is John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” I’ve been a Christian a long time, and it’s easy to forget how big a sacrifice God made for me. That Jesus died for me—in my place, taking my sins upon him, and then rose again on the third day—has somehow become mundane over time.

John 13:35 says, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Honestly, love seems to be in short supply today from those of all walks of life, including Christians. Instead of showing love to our neighbors, we lash out in anger. Instead of listening to someone else’s viewpoint, we bulldoze over them with our opinions about why they’re wrong and we’re right. Instead of caring for the widows and orphans, we turn our backs and let them fend for themselves.

Where is the agape love—the love that led Jesus to die on the cross—that God has shown us? Where is the phileo love—the love that we show our families, friends, and even enemies—that Jesus exhibited during his life on earth? Can those around me tell that I follow Jesus by the way I treat others? Or, when they find out, are they surprised? I hope not. How distressing.

This Valentine’s Day, we should consider returning to our first love—God. According to 1 John 4:19, “We love because he first loved us.” Loving others starts with understanding that love comes from God. We can’t love others on our own, and honestly, some people are prickly and difficult and downright hard to love.

So how do we love others in this way? I believe it starts with prayer—with asking God to see others as he sees them. Ask him to fill you with his love for others. With God’s help, we can put aside ourselves and show his love to others each day.

Dear Lord, thank you for your love for us. Please teach us to love each other with the same love that you have shown to us. Open our eyes to see others as you see them—as a person made in your image. Amen.