Friday, February 17, 2012

Monday, February 6, 2012

Valentine's Day

What does Valentine’s Day mean to you! For me Valentine’s Day used to be a day where I was either disappointed or angry. Why? Because my expectations were all out of whack. Selfishness and sin crept in and demanded that I be treated like a princess. The problem with that was my heart needed to be changed.

Valentine’s Day is an interesting holiday. Why do we only take one day out of the year to celebrate our mate when there are 364 other days left? Shouldn’t we be treating every day like a day to celebrate our mate. February 14 sets many up for disappointment and heartbreak. Flowers, chocolate candy, and candle light dinner is easy, but is it real. When we get out of bed the next morning are we still celebrating love and putting him first in our lives. In all honesty are you putting Him, God first? Our commitment to our mate should first come out of a heart sold out for God and out of that will flow our daily energy and love to celebrate our mate.

Trust me when I say that I don’t get it right many days. That selfishness and sin still creeps back in many days. But when my heart is right with God and my eyes are on him my husband gets the best part of me, my undeniable love and sacrifice for him.

So this year I challenge you to take the opportunity to celebrate Valentine’s Day every day. Leave notes on the mirror in the bathroom for the love of your life to wake up to, stock the fridge with his favorite things as a surprise, slip notes in the pockets of his work jacket, consult Hallmark for words if you aren’t good with them.

Send Love/Respect mail to his office or place of work so you can make his heart skip a beat. When I say Love/Respect mail I mean speak his language. Tell him that you respect him for x,y,z. Love is our language, and respect is a man’s language. Try it and I promise you it will make him smile. One thing I have found that is big is thanking him for getting up every morning and going to work. I like to be thanked for putting a meal on the table, cleaning the house, and taking care of the kids, so take the opportunity to thank him for his hard work. A man’s job to protect, physically, financially, and spiritually is huge. We don’t think twice when we are in danger and automatically look to our husband for protection. That’s a big responsibility, to be willing to even die for a wife and children. Thank him. Who cares if he looks at you weird. I get that a lot. It's the opening of your heart to him that is important. It's the respect you are showing him that the kids see that makes a difference.

I try to make it a priority to send him out the door in the morning with love at his side. If anything were to happen to him I want him to know that our last connection was that of love. If I'm busy with the kids he comes to find me now. In times past I have literally chase him out the door because he thought it all was silly. It made for a great chase around the garage, sometimes into the yard. It's good for the neighbors to see you kissing your husband in the driveway. They know where your priorities are. You are also learning how to be the same inside and outside the home. The key word being REAL.

I've left in anger before or let him leave with me angry and it has been agony waiting for him to return home to reconnect. We don't part without hugs and kisses. It's become so much a part of our life that the girls attack him before he leaves every morning for at least one hug and kiss, anything less results in crocodile tears. His knees sometimes have unwanted milk smiles when he leaves but my girls are learning how to treat their daddy and the special men in their future. With love, respect and celebration. We also celebrate his arrival at night. I'm always in the kitchen and I announce his arrival. He is to be celebrated. He is the king of our home. The girls always come running to reconnect.

So this year I’m going to celebrate my mate, but it won’t be a day of unfulfilled unreasonable expectations. I have so much to be thankful for that I’ve been given and provided for all year around. I don’t need anything else over the top. My husband makes me feel like a princess and I tell him he’s my knight in shining armor.

Come with me and celebrate life and love as the days fly by. Instead of examining your mate and what you think you deserve, examine yourself and see what God asks of us. Pour out your life as a fragrant offering. Dance in the joys of today.