Wouldn’t it be a nice change to shift the focus of Valentine’s Day from ourselves to look up at the people around us? There are people all around us who need to know that someone sees them and cares. And they need to know that Jesus cares.
Wouldn’t it be just like Jesus to challenge us to do that as individuals and as the Church?
10 Ways to Do Valentine’s Day Differently:
1) Have your youth group invite single parents to a free car wash and hand out flowers and chocolate while they wait.
2) Have your small group host a spa night for single moms where you provide childcare and treat the moms to professional pedicures and manicures.
3) Send flowers to a widower reminding him/her that he/she is seen, remembered and loved by the Father.
4) As a married couple, write an encouraging letter to a single adult reminding them that the Lord has good plans for them and that you are praying for them as they pursue purity and wait on the Lord’s timing in life.
5) Pay for a babysitter and a nice dinner for a couple you know could use the encouragement and might not be able to afford that kind of treat.
6) Deliver balloons to residents in a nursing home and spend some time reminding them they are remembered and loved.
7) Pay for a one-time house cleaning for a struggling single mom who could use some encouragement.
8) Arrange with a local crisis pregnancy center to have roses and chocolates delivered to current clients and attach a handwritten card letting the young women know how valued they are by you and the Lord.
9) As a small group or Sunday School class, write encouraging, Scripture-filled cards and send them to a local women’s prison.
10) Pay for a single mom or dad to have a professional photographer take a family picture and gift them with a framed picture.
We are called to love big and love out loud.
“We love because he first loved us.” – I John 4:19
So how are you going to do Valentine’s Day differently this year?
