"One for Valentine's Day"

I went to see Valentine's Day tonight [very cute movie, by the way].  I did buy one ticket [though ironically, they charged me for 2]...but don't worry, I wasn't alone.  However, I was not one of the zillions [yes, zillions] who flocked to theaters across the country to see Valentine's Day on Valentine's Day...probably with a date.

I went with a bunch of sisters & friends.  :)  And I'm totally okay with that.  Actually I'd rather see a movie like that with girls than with a boy.

Annnnyway...kind of getting away from what I wanted to write about.  I hate [& I do mean HATE] the way so many people view Valentine's Day.  A quick little trip to Wikipedia will tell you about how a pope established Valentine's Day in AD 496 to be a celebration of "love and affection between intimate companions".  It wasn't until the middle ages & Chaucer that it became associated with romantic love.  There you go...history lesson for today.

I would totally bash on it being called "Single's Awareness Day" if Chris Tomlin hadn't jokingly called it that at Passion City Church last week [& I do love Chris], so I'll only slightly bash it.  Yes, I'm single & I'm okay about that.  In fact, I'm glad.  For several reasons, but the #1 reason has come about recently.  I know God's bringing the right one in His perfect timing yada yada ya [not to downplay God's timing at all...us single girls just hear that a lot], but I've recently come to think about the whole situation a little differently.

Most of you know that I graduate this semester [April 30!!!] & have been applying...& applying...& applying for jobs.  I know I want to do something with some Christian organization, but at this point I'm not exactly sure what or where or any of the details.  I have my top choices & places that I feel like God is nudging me...but we'll see.  Anyway, almost every single one has a little paragraph in there somewhere about if you are married, they feel that you & your spouse should both be called to the ministry.  Working in a full-time ministry position is something that both must be called to.  It's not always a normal 9-5 job.  It's often one that requires more time, stranger hours, more devotion, & much more of your heart.  So if this is where I feel God leading me, I sure hope He's leading my husband there, too.  Just thinking about that makes me so excited.  He is so loved & so prayed for already & I don't even know him.  I always pray for him & his ministry, whatever that may be, but now I feel like when I pray about a job, I may even be praying myself to him.  I may be totally wrong about all of this, & if I am, okay.  But this time, I don't really feel like I am.  I feel like it's coming...he's coming...& when we meet, I'll be ready!

Okay, so that's part of it.  Switching gears.  Why can't Valentine's Day just be about love like it was originally intended?  I love pink & red [2 of my favorite colors], I love my future husband, I love God, my family, my sisters, my friends.  So what if I don't have a boyfriend, fiancee, or husband?  I don't need them in my life right now!  I've felt this way for several years, but even more so this year.  I was adamant that my "people" were going to know on that day that I love them & am praying for them.  And for you single girls, I'm praying for your husbands, too.  So yes, I'm single & I love Valentine's Day.  So there.

And one more thing...this is really unrelated.  Kind of.  But it's about Valentine's Day.  Michelle told us last week at Bible Study about a place in Atlanta that helps rescue young girls from sex trafficking and give them a place to live.  They were wanting people to flood their mailboxes with valentines that day so that they would feel loved.  I love that.  So Brandi & Sara & I made about 20 valentines that night & mailed off to them.  So cool what these people are doing & great that in a tiny way we got to take part & show our love & God's love for them this Valentine's Day.