Valentine’s Day . . . bleh! My first experience with love’s missed arrow happened in high school. In the cafeteria, a Valentine’s booth took floral orders for almost a week before the big event. Valentine’s Day revealed the chosen few proudly carrying wilting flowers all day long. Ugh, the shame of empty hands.

For good or bad, this ritual of people’s fickle affections is still on the calendar. Take heart—it’s only one day. Here is the real deal from your True Love for all eternity: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness” (Jeremiah 31:3).

God honors us with something greater than wilting flowers. He draws us to himself with the purest form of love. His love rescues us from pain and death. His love restores us to who he wanted us to be when he first knew us before time began.

He nurtures, strengthens, and sets us on our feet readied with the gospel. With arms full of mercy and grace blossoms that are fresh every morning, we daily hand to the brokenhearted a genuine valentine from Jesus.

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:10,11).