I consider myself to be fairly creative, but on Valentine’s Day I am a total blank stare. I have never forgotten to send something on the big day, but I have never hit a home run either. Most of what I do — flowers and card — could fall into the category of a bloop single or a maybe a double.
Is there a Google search with ideas? I have thought about searching the scriptures for inspiration. In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul doesn’t seem too crazy about marriage. His not-so-ringing endorsement, “better to marry than burn (with lust),” doesn’t exactly make him out to be Cupid. I’m guessing he would have made a lousy husband. He spent too much time traveling, being beaten, or in jail to have passed the Marriage 101 course.
Then, there are the Old Testament examples of King David (never mind) and King Solomon who had to send out 700 Valentine’s Day gifts to his wives and 300 to his concubines (girlfriends). I’m thinking that Solomon was really glad he came along before Hallmark and florists.
Samson seems to have had a way with women — nothing like a head full of great hair and lots of muscles — to keep the girls interested. However, he was dumb as a stump and lost it all — hair and muscles — and also lost the favor of God.
In one of the oddest romantic stories of all time (Judges 21), the single young men of the tribe of Benjamin hid in the bushes along a roadside to watch the young women of Shiloh dance (obviously not good Baptist girls). The men then rushed out of the bushes and presumably grabbed the one that caught their eye and took her home as his bride. That is sort of how I picked Sheri, except I wasn’t hiding in the bushes.
Alas, what should I do? Grow my hair long? Add some muscles? Hide in the bushes?
I have the February blank stare again. I have a great wife who is better to me and more patient with me than I deserve. How do I honor her on this special day?
In our wedding vows Sheri and I said to one another these words: “I will be sensitive to your every thought, considerate of your every need, and patient with your every weakness.”
Huh? What was I thinking when I said that? Have I done that? Sometimes. Have I always, every day, done those things? No. I should have made some vows a tad easier to keep, like taking out the garbage and matching up socks. Those everyday simple things we do because we love someone go a long way toward making for a happy marriage.
Maybe the best Valentine’s gift any of us guys could give our spouse is to live up to the commitments we made way back when. Oh sure, growing some hair and adding some muscles might help too. But, if I were you, I would not hide in the bushes.
Davis is the pastor of the First Baptist Church in Carrollton.
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