Evicting the Ghost of Valentine’s Day Past
Updated: Dec 6, 2018
For those of you for whom the upcoming day of love and candy rings hollow, below is a note from Dr. Beverly Rodgers who shares a glimpse of her not-so-great Valentine’s Days as a young girl. Today, she and her husband, Dr. Tom Rodgers, head the Rodgers Christian Counseling Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are also the authors of the very helpful book, “Adult Children of Divorced Parents: Making Your Marriage Work.”
These words are from their latest newsletter. May Dr. Bev’s vulnerable and hope-filled note brings encouragement to your day.
“February is the month of Valentine’s Day. In western culture this love is typically about Eros or Romantic Love. This is the month that we get bombarded with commercials and ads about jewelry, candy and of course flowers. As a kid I began to hate this month. It was a tradition at our small Southern school for the boys to purchase candy grams or flower grams and send them to the little girls they were sweet on. I think it was some type of fundraiser, but I didn’t care. I was a shy bookworm. I was also poor, wearing ill-fitting hand-me-downs, from the wrong side of the tracks, and sporting buck teeth and braces. Thus I was passed over for the cute blonde cheerleaders with the matching outfits and dazzling smiles.”
“Every Valentine’s Day they would announce over the loud speaker who bought a Valentine gift for whom, and the girls would swoon and giggle while the guys would preen over their choices.
I would cringe in silence until the whole thing was over hoping no one ever asked me the dreaded question, “Did anyone buy you a Valentine, Bev?” After a while they just stopped asking.
One sad February just after I accepted the Lord as my Savior, I happened to have my Bible with me at recess. In my sad state I opened my Bible to this exact spot. Jeremiah 31: 3 “I have loved you with an everlasting love with loving kindness I have drawn you to me.”
The words leapt off the page!! I am pursued, I am desired, I am loved with unconditional Agape love. I AM someone’s Valentine… God’s!!”
“Valentine’s Day has taken on a whole new meaning since that time, and this Scripture is a theme for my life. We are God’s heart, and that beats a candy gram any day!”
If you would like to learn more about how God’s soul healing, agape love can heal you of your wounds, please contact Doctors Tom and Beverly Rodgers at the Rodgers Christian Counseling Center. They can be reached at 704-649-8616, or at www.rodgerscc.com.