“For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.” –Psalm 57:10

Another Valentine’s Day has come and gone. Flowers will wither, candy will be eaten, cards will be tossed or treasured, and those who received nothing will breathe a sigh of relief that the day for lovers is over.

I used to be one of those. Since 2001 I have been single. At first, it bothered me that I had no significant other with whom to share the day of romantic love, which actually has its origins in various legends, including that of the martyred saint, Valentine, who was a Christian.

Did you know that approximately 150 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged annually, making Valentine’s Day the second most popular card-sending holiday after Christmas? That boggles my mind.

One thing, however, that I have learned about this day of romantic love is that I no longer dread it, even though I still don’t have a significant other. I don’t miss the flowers, the candy or the card. Why?

I have come to realize that humans will disappoint us. Because we are all desperate to love and be loved, we search for meaning and significance. But we search for those things in all the wrong places. We think another human can make us happy. Ah, but there’s the rub. We place our hopes and dreams in another person who will ultimately not live up to our expectations.

I have learned that it is only through a personal relationship with my Savior that I can experience authentic love. His love replaces thoughts of rejection and banishes feelings of abandonment. Through the priceless gift of God’s sacrifice, we can finally comprehend the most amazing truth. We were planned before we were ever conceived in our mother’s wombs. We were created in HIS heart. We were wanted. “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.” John 3:16

Isn’t that a reason to celebrate?