Talking about love again

Seems to be a theme this month. Oh, yeah...Valentine's Day!

Have you recovered yet? Did the hype and expectations come through? Or did you wake up the next day with tears and chocolate stains on your pillow because things didn't work out like you hoped?

I've written before about Valentine's Day (2009, 2004). Sure, it's nice to express your love in a fun, romantic way. And what girl doesn't like receiving gifts? But as I told you last year, I would rather have the sometimes-boring, steady, daily kind of love that quietly endures the bad stuff than all the flashy red hearts and flowers in the world.

During another touching sermon by my pastor on Sunday, he choked up talking about the kind of love he has witnessed in his many years of ministry. It reminded me of some friends who went through an awful time a few years ago.

Everyone knows at least one couple like this. They bicker, they complain about each other, they crack you up with their stories (sometimes to the point of too much information). The guy is just a few years away from grumpy old man status. But when his wife had a sudden and very serious health crisis, he turned into a knight in shining armor. I realize now that he was probably always that knight...just in subtle, private ways.

So now that another Valentine's Day is over but still fresh in your memory, think about the kind of love that is really worth having. The fire of romantic love is wonderful, but it does not last. It's nice to receive those public displays like flowers arriving at your desk. But it's what happens in private - how we care for each other when nobody is looking - that really matters.

That's the kind of love you build a life on.