A Single Man's Defense of Valentine's Day
Today is a day of which no single person wants to be reminded. At least, not single people like me. It's Valentine's Day. Now, if you have a valentine this year, I'm hoping you don't get to reading this until February 15th. Don't be that guy (or girl) who spends Valentine's Day at their computer when they should be out enjoying the company of their special someone. Leave us single people to sulk.Actually, if you read the title then you're probably suspicious that I'm about to pull a bait-and-switch. And your suspicions are well founded. I'm all about the bait-and-switch.
Let me explain what I'm up to. That opening paragraph doesn't reflect my thinking today. It's more like my thinking two years ago. Okay, two weeks ago. But since then it's been different. I promise!
What caused my thinking to change? Remembering the purpose of romance.
Romance doesn't exist because it makes the couple involved happy (although it should be a happy experience for them). It exists as a picture of Christ and the Church. Christ loves the Church so much that he was willing to die for her (and, of course, did). In response the Church submits to Christ in complete faith that He orders things for her good. This is why, concerning marriage, I think complementarianism is so important.
With that in mind, what do I have to be bitter about? Can't I enjoy the picture of Christ and the Church in every happy couple I see today? I don't have to actually be part of a couple to enjoy the picture, do I? Of course not. But for the longest time I wasn't willing to see the picture. I wanted to be the picture. That's not a bad desire in and of itself. But blindness to seeing the picture in others shows that I had the wrong perspective.
To all of my fellow Christian singles out there who are tempted to be bitter today: Get over yourselves. Consider what Christ has done for you. Rejoice that someone gets to take part in a flesh-and-blood picture of it. So what if, by God's providence, you don't get to take part in the picture? You get something much better. You take part in the reality.
