A reminder

I am fairly certain that were I actually in a relationship I would not care at all for Valentine’s Day and consider it contrived nonsense (some of the cards though! - the fun that could be had). However, when you’re single it can be something of a slap in the face wherever you go. There’s no escape, even in the grocery store. But I came upon this sentence by theologian Juergen Moltmann the other day:

But the ultimate reason for our hope is not to be found at all in what we want, wish for and wait for; the ultimate reason is that we are wanted and wished for and waited for.

He’s talking about God, just in case that isn’t obvious from the lack of context. I suspect much of our psychological and interpersonal angst would dissolve if we could only truly madly deeply believe that. (I grew up in an environment, which I respect and value and am grateful for and remember fondly to this day, that was fairly heavy in it’s emphasis on our total, oh so total, depravity and all our wretchedness and filthy rags. So I don’t object to the reminder every now and then that God actually loves me all the same.) The coinciding of Valentine’s Day with the first day of Lent is a little weird. I didn’t grow up with any concept or observance of Lent either, but this year I am giving up (at least aiming to) a few things, as a reminder of God’s sacrificial giving, driven by his great love. (The actual purpose of Lent, ranging from the season of spring to mortifying the flesh, seems to be a fluid idea, depending on what you read - 'make of it what you will' seems to be how it works for most.)