Valentines day has never been my favorite holiday. For the
most part, it’s a reminder that I’m very single. Superficially, it’s a reminder
that I have no one to buy me flowers or chocolates, but deep down, I think
Valentines day is actually hard because love is a hard emotion. We were created
on this earth from love to give love and be loved. And on a day that celebrates
being loved by a significant other, it’s hard to remember that there are other
ways to be loved. However, since Valentines day of 2009, I have been reminded
that love shows itself in funny ways. Let me paint you the picture:
It was my sophomore year in college and I was struggling
physically, mentally, and emotionally. My friends stood by me, prayed over me,
and held my hand through so many difficult days and nights. By February of that
year, things were not getting better and my support system was at the end of
their rope. So with projects, papers, and commitments looming overhead, 3
friends dropped everything they had, packed bags, and put me in a car to drive
me to Brevard, NC to find some hope. At the time, I remember feeling blindsided
and scared and confused and angry and exhausted (in hindsight, I laugh at the
pit stops at Chick-fil-a for a computer plug in or the house tours from Sadie).
Their master plan didn’t work out, but that’s really not what mattered in the
moment. In the moment I was reminded that love comes in so many forms, whether
it be from a significant other or from best friends who drop everything to show
they care.
One year after the Brevard incident, we got an e-mail from
one of the friends. This is what it read:
“A year ago today, four girls dropped everything they were doing, took off work, skipped class, neglected homework, gave up plans, packed up their stuff and got into a car on its way to Brevard. Each of us made sacrifices that Friday afternoon, knowing that while we would have to deal the consequences later, none of them would compare to the love we had for one girl and the desire each of us had to do whatever it would take to help her. In those 24 hours, I think each of us realized what it really meant to love and be loved and what it meant to have friends who really cared for each other, more than any one girl could do in her own strength, through God who cares for us more than we will ever be able to fathom. This trip is one that will stay on our hearts for a lifetime. A time when we laughed and cried, prayed to God in thanksgiving and in fear, seeking direction and purpose for what we were doing. Here's to learning what love really is on a Valentine's Day that was maybe not ideal but one where God really showed us His abounding love and how to overflow that onto others. Here's to the pain that each of us felt for each other, for the things we were going through. Here's to the sacrifices we made, sacrifices that some might have called irresponsible, but sacrifices we knew were out of a care so deep none of us could even describe it, not then, not now.”
So every year, on Valentines day, when all couples are reminiscing about their relationships, I take a moment to remember how my friends kidnapped me, drove me to the mountains, and threatened to abandon me with a hippie named Sadie.
In all seriousness, I make sure to read these words every year on this
date. To remind myself of how far I have come. And to remind myself what love
can look like if you let it in. I am forever thankful and forever changed by a group of friends who helped remind me that I was worth loving.
No comments:
Post a Comment