Eternal

This weekend the Women's Ministry on campus is having a Valentine's Dinner. Dozens of women will gather to be served food by our brothers in Christ and spend some quality time together. I've been involved with planning this dinner, and spent some time last week making gifts for all the ladies who are attending. On each of the small gifts, I wrote our theme verse, 2 Corinthians 4:18, "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
Perhaps, like me, you think that verse is a bit of an odd choice for a Valentine's event. As I wrote it out 15 times though, I had an opportunity to think about what it means and how it pertains to love. In the end I discovered that it's actually quite relevant. 
Today, February 14th, is a day that causes a lot of heartache for a lot of people. I myself could write a ridiculous amount of words dissecting how I feel about Valentine's Day. Typically I subscribe to the idea that the day is a highly distorted, misinterpreted minor Saint Day that somehow went mainstream. But the fact of the matter is that it has gone mainstream, and it's very hard to escape the effects of the expectations it now raises. For those who are single, the pain is very evident. Yes, the pure spirit of the holiday should simply be a celebration of all love - friends and family included. In truth, our focus almost always shifts to romance, so the day makes loneliness feel much more lonely. People in a relationship, however, don't escape the hurt feelings involved with Valentine's Day. It can be awkward to determine how to celebrate. Going "all out" comes off as cheesy or insincere. Doing nothing makes us feel left out of the love fest. 
So how does a verse about looking past the things of this world pertain to Valentine's Day? Perfectly, if you ask me! The holiday has become so focused on material expressions of earthly love that we forget how meaningful true love is. The verse directs our gaze to the eternal life we have in God. This also includes eternal love! Let's face it, no love that we experience here in the world is perfect and eternal. Even if we are committed to someone, or "stuck with" our family, our love is tainted by sin, and sometimes we decide to stop making the effort that love requires. Only with God is this not so. He sees the deepest flaws of our hearts, and still chooses us. He feels the rejection when we stray from his embrace and hide from him, and waits patiently, welcoming us back as if we'd never wronged him. He gives us every good thing, and is a constant partner through every part of our lives. 
God's love is amazing!
God's love is eternal.