By Sharon van Arneman
Did you know that February is Heart Health Month? And how fitting is that! To think that the month that gives us Valentine’s Day, when everyone’s focus seems drawn to those intricate matters of the heart, is also the month that calls us to pay attention to our heart-health is not mere coincidence. So how’s your heart?
While Valentine’s Day will be a beautiful day for many, there will doubtlessly be one too many who’ll be nursing a broken heart: The young woman who thought she was heading to the altar, but was informed that the relationship was “just a friendship”; the young man who lost the girl of his dreams; the wife whose husband does not care for romance; the husband who must take second place to his wife’s career. Perhaps knowing that the world’s greatest Valentine was well acquainted with the pain of rejection will help soothe the hurts of many a rejected soul this Valentine’s Day.
Whether we’re applying for a job or asking someone out on a date, which of us doesn’t know what it’s like to have our heart broken? There is virtually no one who hasn’t experienced rejection. From not cutting the team as a kid, to being marginalised as an adult, rejection is an experience that’s all too familiar. Who can forget those times when we gave our all and yet no matter how hard we worked, it seemed that our best was never good enough?! What about the husband who comes home one day to find that his wife of 30 years has left him to pursue her own interests? Or the wife who wakes up to a husband who says he doesn’t love her anymore?
But you can take heart in knowing that the One, who came to share His love and give His life for all, knew a thing or two about dealing with heart pain. The prophet Isaiah said of Him, “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” Can you believe this?! The world’s greatest Valentine experienced real heartache! He was rejected by His own townspeople: they knew He’d made the blind see, the deaf hear, the dumb speak and the lame walk; they were not ignorant of the miracles he’d performed; still there were those of His own family who wanted nothing to do with Him.
It’s one thing to be rejected by strangers and mere acquaintances, but when it comes from those within our inner circle of family and friends, it can be pretty devastating. But Jesus knew who He was and He knew His purpose too. That’s why in spite of it all, He was able to go on to complete His mission and become the perfect Valentine for you and for me. So don’t go throwing yourself a pity party this Valentine’s Day. Whatever your relationship status, consider yourself loved by the world’s best Valentine!
To contact Sharon, email: allbecauseofgrace@gmail.com
