Here it is, Valentine’s Eve and while there are stores filled with teddy bears, candy shaped hearts, cards of love and flower shops and jewelry stores overflowing; the sad reality is, some of you haven’t felt loved in a long time. It’s not that you haven’t tried, you have but you still find yourself on the receiving end of hurt. You’ve fasted and prayed but still feeling fatigued and passed over. You’ve tried the relationship thing, sometimes giving the same person chance after chance and still nothing. You’ve tried to deal with the past demons who keep showing up but you can never seem to quiet their voices. You’ve even tried to forget the past mistakes but they keep popping up in your thoughts. Well beloved, before you make a rash decision tonight to accept the chocolate, respond to the “hey” text, take them up on their offer of dinner or open the door to your past; stop and think. Before you get under the influence of drugs, alcohol, peer pressure, lust and/or plain stupidity and do something you might regret; stop and think. You don’t need a warm body, a shabby promise or a generic gift to make you feel loved; love your doggone self.
Sure, it’s easy for me to say when I have a whole husband at home who loves me but baby, I love me too. Because the fact of the matter is, some of you have spouses too and yet you still don’t feel loved. And it may not have anything to do with said spouse, it could be an inward battle with self but aren’t you tired of fighting a battle you cannot win? If you are then maybe you ought to get like Jacob and stop fighting and instead cling desperately to God declaring, “I will not let you go until you bless me.” See, Jacob’s battle wasn’t about him winning against God because we all know God has the power to overcome us but his fight with God was simply testing Jacob’s ability to endure the struggle. Sure, it’s hard when you’re ready to be loved. It’s a struggle when you’re ready to be in a good, honest and worthy relationship but will you endure the struggle? Jacob endured the struggle and because he did, God changed his name to Israel, which means God rules. Will you hold on and wait until God permits for your name to be changed? Even if that means going through another Valentine’s Day alone, will you hold on until God blesses you? Because I’ve found that waiting, although it’s hard, has its purpose. So today, I will declare … “I am strong enough to wait on what I deserve because I’d rather wait for what’s mine than rush it and regret it!”
“I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, and in His word do I hope. Psalm 130:5”
Lakisha, the Author 