St. Valentine's Day

Ahh, St. Valentine's Day, also known as Single's Awareness Day. The day we dedicate to the concept of love. Honestly, I've had a hard time relating to St. Valentine's day.

At this point,  I must offer a caveat for all my male readers: The following post is decidedly for ladies, and as such, you'll find precious little to relate to. ;) You have been warned.

You know, I've been thinking about what happens on St. Valentine's Day for a couple weeks now. Ideally, you'll open the door to find your love standing on the threshold with flowers, reservations for dinner, and a pair of tickets to a romantic comedy. Or something like that. St. Valentine's Day is, after all, the holiday for items. But think about it: the Saint's day is just one more stigma for girls to date, court, or prematurely give away their emotions. We've got enough pressure to be alluring, attractive stumbling blocks for our guy friends, without having an entire holiday dedicated to True Love.

I got an email from a girlfriend of mine today, detailing her plans for the evening with her recently acquired boyfriend. Now, don't get me wrong - I appreciated the good will implied in the salutation that I would "find love soon," but still, I'm sixteen. I don't need to worry about courtship or other vaguely matrimonial type topics. And frankly, every time I see girls my age prematurely giving their hearts away, I cry for them.

Last year, I went goth for St. Valentine's Day. This year, I did something more important. Yup, I prayed for the gentlemen in my acquaintance and friendship. I prayed that they would look to God for guidance in their relationships, and I prayed that God would help me be a sister for them, and not a stumbling block. And I challenge all of you to do it this week, with me. God calls us to treat our male friends as brothers in Christ. I don't know about you, but my birth brother gets my support all the time: why shouldn't my male friends not get it as well?

And for any guy readers who have made it this far, no comment is necessary.

B