To Be Loved

February has always been one of my favorite months.

Perhaps I’m a bit partial to it because it’s my birth month.  And like me, February is a little bit different and quirky, with its 28 days compared to other months’ 30-31 days, and with the added oddity of having 29 days every four years.

But the main reason I’m partial to February is because it’s the month of love, being the home to Valentine’s Day and all things sweet and sentimental.  It’s a time where we make a point to spread a little love to our friends and family.

It brings to mind elementary school parties abounding with fun and games, sugar-coated cookies and cupcakes, and decorated paper bags overflowing with an assortment of love-expressing cards, candy hearts, and chocolates.

I loved those Valentine’s Day parties when I was a kid.  Not only were the parties a lot of fun and a welcome break from the usual school-day routine, but they were a time when everyone was included.  Every kid in the class participated.  Every kid decorated a paper bag/box.  Every kid brought Valentine’s cards for their classmates, and every kid was a recipient.

At least this one day of the year, if no other time, you could count on no one being left out, overlooked, or forgotten.  Everyone was the recipient of an expression of love.

But then one day, you find yourself in junior high, and the school parties end, almost as an accentuation of the heightened social challenges that you encounter at this age.  The cliques that are formed, the labels that are given, the social statuses that are sought after.  The trying to fit in and find your place.

And it doesn’t stop there.  It continues into high school and even into adulthood.

Oh, we like to think as adults that we’ve risen above this, and in some cases we have, but in other cases we have not.

We still overlook others.  Sometimes because we’re distracted.  Sometimes because we’re busy.  Sometimes because we’re too caught up in our own lives to notice.

We still exclude others.  Sometimes intentionally and sometimes unintentionally.  Sometimes because someone has hurt or offended us.  Sometimes because someone has a different viewpoint than us.  Sometimes simply because we have nothing in common.

We welcome into our lives those who are easy to love, and we shy away from those who are difficult to love.

And yet it has been said, those who are the most difficult to love are the ones who need it most.  Whether friend or foe, those difficult-to-love people are the ones who need our love, who need to experience God’s love through us, the most.

And while none of us individually can meet the needs of everyone, we can each play a part.

So instead of showering love only on those whom we normally would this month, perhaps we can each make a point to reach out to someone else.  Maybe someone overlooked or forgotten.  Maybe a stranger or a friend.  Maybe a difficult person in our lives.  Maybe someone in need.

Because in the end, we all need the same thing.  We all need to be loved.

“Above all, love each other deeply…” 1 Peter 4:8 (NIV)