St. Valentine’s Day is one of the most highly celebrated times of the year. Who was St. Valentine anyway?

Valentine was a priest in Rome in the Third Century AD. The Emperor at that time, Claudius II, wanted to amass a powerful army, but could not get any volunteers. It seemed as though men wanted to stay home with their families. So, Claudius declared marriage to be illegal. Valentine defied the Emperor’s decree and secretly married young couples. He was eventually arrested, imprisoned, and on February 14, 269 he was beheaded. The jail keeper’s daughter visited him often and encouraged him. She too believed that true love was a just cause! The night before he was beheaded he left her a note thanking her for her encouragement and signed it “your dear Valentine.” Thus began a tradition!

What a challenge. What are we willing to risk to show love to others or to encourage others to love? The ultimate expression of love was when God sent His Son into the world to become the payment for our sins.Romans 5:8 says it this way, “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

Did you catch that qualifying statement? “While we were still sinners.” Now that is unconditional love. God does not wait for us to love Him; He takes initiative. God does not wait for us to straighten up; He loves us as we are. God does not love us partially; He went all the way to the cross with His love.

We can follow God’s loving example by loving unconditionally. We find it easy to love those we like, but what about those we do not like, even those who mistreat us? True love extends even to those who are different from us, indifferent about us, or unloving toward us. True love is given for no reasons, it is just given.

Let me encourage you to become a St. Valentine to several people this year. Take the initiative to love unconditionally and without thought of how your love will be received or if it will be requited. Find someone who NEEDS love, take a risk and SHOW them love. You may be surprised at the results. True love is indeed a just cause.