love and passion, couples and singles

Love
Passion
Couples
Valentines Day
Are singles excluded?
Depends on who you listen to.
Singles certainly are not the mainstream marketers target.

I hope you feel loved.
I hope you don't confuse lust and love.
I hope you have healthy love relationships.
I hope you have not wrestled, as I have,
with myriad thoughts and feelings
in these last two weeks leading up to Valentine's Day.
But I think some of you probably have.

I hope that the love in your life 
is celebrated 
daily
truly
purely
kindly
consistently

I hope that the love in your life 
is expressed by more than
chocolates
flowers
jewelry
words
sex

I hope that the love in your life 
is based on
truth
honor
respect
integrity
acceptance

I hope that the love in your life 
is manifested by unselfish
words
choices
attitudes
actions
reactions

I hope that the love in your life is passionate-
real, authentic, burning passion.
But not as the world defines passion,
not the something that drives you 
to seek to satisfy your flesh
and/or the flesh of your partner,
which, at best, is temporary fulfillment.

I pray that your love, your passion, is kindled 
by the knowledge that God loves you.
I pray that your love, your passion, is fueled 
by an understanding of God's love for you.
I pray that you find deep intimacy with Him-
intimacy that satisfies and completes you 
like nothing this world offers can compete with.

Enjoying that kind of intimacy,
fueled by that kind of passion,
cannot help but drive you, 
cannot help but overflow from you
into your relationships with others
which will, in turn,
deepen, strengthen and enrich those relationships.

Experiencing true love and passion is not limited to couples.