13 comments

Paula Hendricks

A Toast to the Best Valentine's Day Yet!

Posted on 02.01.12 by Paula Hendricks | Twitter: @PaulaWrites678
Topics: Relationships with Others

I’d like to propose a toast. Grab a cup of coffee, a can of Pepsi, your Nalgene bottle—any beverage nearby will do—and let’s drink to . . . the best Valentine’s Day yet!

Ah, that was good, wasn’t it? I don’t know about you, but I’m expecting February 14, 2012, to be filled and running over with blessing . . . and I want the same for you!

If you live near Niles, Michigan, and don’t already have plans, you’re welcome to stop by my house Valentine’s Day evening. You’ll find women of all ages and backgrounds wearing their favorite jammies and feeding on my momma’s tasty homemade pancakes. I’m asking God to send the lonely and to treat them to fun, meaningful interaction with other women in lieu of a solitary TV dinner. And, in the process, I expect that reaching out to these women will shift my focus off of me, and serve as a refreshing elixir to prevent any potential self-pity.

And, I’m not just limiting my Valentine’s Day celebration to February 14. The weekend before, several teens are coming over for a sleepover. After makeovers, a photo shoot, and supper, we’re going to make beautiful homemade cards for the widows in the church, and deliver them the next day. I’m especially looking forward to sticking around to hear a few of these widows’ stories and learn from their lives!

There simply is no time for a pity party this Valentine’s Day with all these other parties to prepare for. Cards need to be written, menus planed, and a house cleaned from top to bottom.

How about you? Married or single, how is Christ’s love compelling you to reach out to the people God has such a heart for—the poor, needy, widows, orphans, children, foreigners, elderly, and lonely? Why not begin making plans now? I’d love to hear how you intend to bless others this year. Whatever you do, I’m convinced that your cup will end up full and spilling over. Happy Valentine’s Day!  

“In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (Acts 20:35, emphasis added).

Comments

  1. Great ideas! Thanks for the inspiration - which came from scripture. I'll make a point to connect with my single and widowed friends.

    Thank you for the blessings today!
    posted by Karen
    on Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 7:18 am
  2. Sweet, Paula! :) And the verse at the end tops it off. Love you!
    posted by April
    on Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 7:29 am
  3. Thanks for posting this! It's a wonderful reminder of how I can take my eyes off myself/my expectations and focus on others. You see, I got married last February, and while my new husband is a wonderful, generous man, who shows love in many ways, he does not like celebrating holidays. Valentines, in particular. Talk about dashed expectations! Needless to say this is not what I pictured my 36 years of being single. SO, seeking to bless others is a wonderful way to spend the day/evening!
    posted by Marie G
    on Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 8:56 am
  4. My brother and his wife are separated right now. She has left and he is fighting for his marriage. He has always been one to do it up big on Valentines Day and I know this day will be hard on him. I had decided that me and my daughter would prepare a box of some of his favorite things and send it to him for Valentines Day. Then yesterday my sister had a great idea that everyone in our immediate and extended could send him a card for Vday with a verse on it and just shower him with love and encouragement. Everyone has agreed to do it!! We know this will really bless him and help make his day brighter. I can't wait!

    And Marie,
    I am in the same boat as you. My husband hates celebrating Valentines Day and that always sets me up to be disappointed, so I am hoping this year to take that pressure of him and focus on someone else instead.
    posted by Jean
    on Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 9:29 am
  5. Immediately after reading the post above this verse came to me in an email from a friend - so perfect!
    "Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples" ~ John 13:35, NLT
    posted by Janet
    on Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 10:21 am
  6. aaah!! You've got my idea-making mind on the work! Thanks for the encouragement! I'm up to thinking something up and doing it this Valentine's. I know I will be probably shooting couples (i'm a photographer) which always gives me joy, but I now want to do something for those widows, poor and other lonely people/friends.
    God bless you!
    www.journeyafterdawn.wordpress.com
    posted by Katherine
    on Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 10:32 am
  7. Great ideas, Paula! You are sweet, and so many girls and women will be blessed by your hospitality and service. Have fun! (I know you will)
    www.montanamoxie.wordpress.com
    posted by Lindsay
    on Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 10:56 am
  8. God surely has blessed your parto f the world with your presence. May it be so with all of us. love <3

    [That's supposed to be a heart! :-)]
    posted by ann
    on Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 3:39 pm
  9. I have always thought about the romanticism of the day in years previous, but this year I received an invitation to a dinner hosted by a church so that couples can learn about a ministry that is working to stop child trafficking. This took the pressure off of my husband, our kids are getting a Chi k-fil-a meal and my husband and I are going to be spending the evening seeing how God is pouring out His love and care on the marginalized while enjoying fellowship and a nice dinner. This is much better than what Hollywood has to offer :)
    posted by Kimberly
    on Monday, February 6, 2012 at 1:19 pm
  10. Right on Paula! I can't wait to see how the Lord blesses your socks off as you show love to Him by reaching out to the least of these. Awesome!

    And reading your post and all these others has given me some new ideas for what I can do this holiday! So excited! Thanks for letting God use you in all the amazing ways He does.
    reviveourhearts.com
    posted by Joy
    on Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 3:53 pm
  11. So I am just catching up on the blog and i definitly wish I could be at home on th 14th!! Sounds like a great time. Post some pics to facebook of all the fun events and let me see what is happennning. I am so glad you are using the house to minister to others. That is exactly what we would want. Have a blessed time. Love you, Laura
    posted by Laura Green
    on Friday, February 10, 2012 at 9:51 am
  12. Just wanted Paula to know we took her thoughts to heart...We contacted a local ministry called Jill's House in our area and asked them if we could do a MINISTRY OF LOVE night...volunteering for them! It ended up being an amazing night, giving of our time/talents to encourage this organization! Thank you for the idea! We had an such a special time! God is so good!
    posted by Cherith
    on Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 4:59 pm
  13. So cool, Cherith. Thanks for blessing Jill's House, and for letting me know about it!

    ALL of your comments were so encouraging--and I was especially grateful for the reminder that many married women need this perspective, too.

    Of all things, I got violently ill on Valentine's Day, and had to cancel the Pancake Pajama Party. But, I was able to have the slumber party with the teens, and we had a very sweet time together.
    posted by Paula Hendricks
    on Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 3:21 pm

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