Valentine’s Day: a holiday typically adored by swoony couples and loathed by singles everywhere. Where do you land on that spectrum? It’s terribly tempting to become a Valentine’s Day Grinch if you’re not in a romantic relationship when February 14th rolls around, especially if you’re in high school where everyone, it seems, is bathed in red and walking around with hearts in their eyes and you can’t even get into your locker because your neighbor is canoodling with her boyfriend, like, right in front of it. Um, hello, PDA!
I feel your pain but you don’t have to feel it. Because even you can experience deep, fulfilling true love on Valentine’s Day and it’s not dependent on your status as single, in a relationship, or it’s complicated.
Hi, I’m Lauren Thell, author of Christian YA fiction and blogger for teens who are ready to exceed the world’s expectations.
=In This Article
My Experience With True Love on Valentine’s Day
I didn’t date in high school. It was more a matter of circumstance than a conscious choice. In my circle of close friends—which included boys and girls in near equal proportions—we tended to keep our crushes to ourselves. If one of us liked another, no one heard about it (at least, not until later). This certainly prevented things from becoming awkward.
But every year without fail, I received a flower—a red carnation—during the National Honor Society’s annual Valentine’s flower sale. A student delivered it right to my classroom and I accepted it with a blush, knowing it wasn’t from a boy who had taken a shine to me.
These flowers came from my mom.
A Deeper Kind of True Love
What teenage girl doesn’t dream of sparking the interest of a respectable boy, if for no other reason than to prove she’s valued? I won’t pretend I wasn’t a little bit disappointed this didn’t appear to be true for me.
The folly of Valentine’s Day lies in the fact that our culture equates love with romance, and anything less is considered inferior.
But I’m not lying when I say part of me—a deeper part—was immensely pleased by this show of love. Those flowers proved I had value to someone. I didn’t have romance, but I had love.
The folly of Valentine’s Day lies in the fact that our culture equates love with romance, and anything less is considered inferior. Do you believe that?
What about your parents, who embrace you first thing in the morning when your hair is still a mess and you’ve got twelve-hour breath and that desperate-for-caffeine scowl on your face? Do you consider that inferior love?
What about your best friend, who lets you cry on her shoulder, knowing you’ll leave mascara stains on her shirt? Or your brother, who treats the word “love” like a swear and avoids saying it at all costs but doesn’t hesitate to take on the school bully for your sake?
Are those inferior to romance?
Did You Celebrate God’s Love on Valentine’s Day?
Even if you have no one else, you will never be unloved, thanks to Jesus.
Someone else loves you too. He did more than send you flowers—he created them. He defined true love with his sacrifice on the cross, then shared his Word with you and made himself known to you. He put his spirit in your heart so you could believe when believing would otherwise be impossible. He never sleeps, never looks away, never leaves your side. His is the love that matters most.
So even if you have no one else, romantic or otherwise, you will never be unloved, thanks to Jesus. He is the ultimate source of true love on Valentine’s Day.
Bible Verses About God’s Love
Do you ever doubt God’s love? Maybe you know in your heart he loves you, but your head wonders why he seems so distant. The entire Bible is one epic love story, the story of God’s love for all humankind. So while it’s impossible to list every passage that evidences his love, these ten Bible verses about God’s love can offer a new dimension to Valentine’s Day for teens.
Give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever.
Psalm 136:26
Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life.
Isaiah 43:4
“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.
Isaiah 54:10
“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”
Zephaniah 3:17
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:37-39
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
1 John 3:1
This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.
1 John 4:9
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.
1 John 4:16
And of course, the big one…
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
Spread love on Valentine’s Day!
Whether your status is single, in a relationship, or “it’s complicated,” you can spread love on Valentine’s Day. Take the time to appreciate someone who is not your romantic interest. Flowers for Mom, a poem for Grandpa, a special hike in the woods with Dad …
In your prayers, thank God for the great people he put in your life. Then go on a treasure hunt through the Bible and bask in the profound love of Jesus.
Because he created love!
More on Valentine’s Day For Teens
You don’t have to have all the answers.
but, hey, why not?
Bring me your questions about faith, life, God, the Bible… and I’ll help you find the answers.
- Bursting with love? Try sharing some with your nemesis: Happy Valentine’s Day: With Love, to My Enemies.
- If you’re not in a relationship: Find Fulfillment as a Single on Valentine’s Day
- Learn more about God’s love in God So Loved the World (article from Desiring God)
- And just because you can never be reminded enough… How to Really, Truly Know God Loves You
When your heart knows someone loves you, it is so wonderful. Yet, knowing God loves us is the greatest love of all. Oh what a blessing! ✝️
God is love forever and forever. ♥️
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