Love

Ah, Valentine’s Day. The season of heart-shaped everything, overpriced flowers, and enough chocolate to last until Easter. Whether you love it or roll your eyes the entire week, one thing’s for sure — love is worth talking about.

Truth is, love is more than grand gestures, mushy cards, or a perfectly filtered Instagram post. The world often measures love by what we get, how romantic someone is, how well they spoil us, or whether they remembered to grab the “good” chocolate (none of that chalky candy heart nonsense, please).

But real, lasting love? It’s not just a feeling, it’s an action.

What Does Love Really Look Like?

One of the most powerful descriptions of love I’ve ever read comes from a passage that’s really stayed with me. It’s not about perfection, it’s about presence.
This one’s paraphrased from 1 Corinthians 13, and whether or not you’re into Bible verses, it paints a pretty solid picture of what real love looks like:

Love is patient.
Love is kind.
It doesn’t brag, it’s not selfish or easily angered.
It doesn’t keep score.
Love shows up, speaks truth, and sticks around when things get hard.

That’s a high bar, right? Turns out love isn’t just about what we receive, it’s about what we give.

Love is choosing patience when someone’s on your last nerve.
Love is showing kindness, even when you don’t feel like it.
Love is forgiving, even when it’s hard.
Love is being there, even when there’s nothing in it for you.

Love Goes Beyond Valentine’s Day

Whether you’re single, married, dating, healing, or somewhere in between — love isn’t just for romance.
It’s for family, for friends, for strangers… and yes, even that coworker who heats up fish in the office microwave (I’m working on my patience, okay?).

For me, the love I try to reflect is rooted in how I’ve come to understand God’s love — sacrificial, steady, and not dependent on performance. That kind of love reminds me to show up for people, even when it’s not convenient, easy, or Instagram-worthy.

So, What’s the Takeaway?

Whether your Valentine’s Day is full of romance or just you, a blanket, and some cookies (solid life choice, by the way), remember:

• Love is more than a feeling — it’s an action.

• You don’t need a relationship to give and receive real love.

• The best love grows when we choose it daily — in the ordinary, in the messy, and in the quiet moments that don’t always make it to social media.

So go ahead and buy yourself some chocolate (because, yes, you absolutely deserve it)…
But also choose love — in big and small ways — every day.
That’s the kind of love that actually lasts.