Every February, during the days leading up to the 14th of the month, you can walk into almost any store and find an abundance chocolate hearts wrapped in foil, stuffed teddy bears in a wide variety of colors, cards that send out affectionate messages, and pink- and red-colored everything else.

In the United States, Valentine’s Day is the holiday when both lovers and friends express their feelings for others through romantic exchanges of cards, candy, presents, flowers, and other gifts.

For some, it is a favorite holiday. And for others, it is dreaded and despised. Nonetheless, people spend pocketfulls of money each year at this time to show just how much they love those special someones in their lives.

So where did this holiday originate? Who first started the concept of setting aside one particular day out of the year to show those special people how you really feel?

History says that Valentine’s Day is possibly named after one of three early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine who were killed in ancient Rome.

One legend says that Valentine was a priest during the third century. During that time, Roman Emperor Claudius II outlawed marriage for young soldiers—claiming single men made better warriors. Valentine defied the injustice Claudius imposed by performing marriages for young lovers in secret. When he was found out, he was put to death.

Other theories say that Valentine was put to death for helping Christian escape harsh Roman prisons where they were beaten and tortured.

And yet another legend says that, while in prison, Saint Valentine fell in love with a young girl who visited him often. Before his death, rumor has it that he sent the first “valentine” in the form of a letter to her signed “From your Valentine.”

The truth behind these stories still remains a mystery today. But the message of sacrificial, undying love clearly continues to live on and even began before time.

I don’t even know how many times the Bible mentions love—but I do know that it’s at the very core of who God is. This holiday should be a large reminder of what the Bible says about love:

• Proverbs 10:12—Hatred stirs up conflicts, but love covers all offenses
• John 15:13—No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends.
• John 3:16—For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.
• 1 John 3:16—This is how we have come to know love: He laid down His life for us. We should also lay down our lives for our brothers.

And the infamous passage from 1 Corinthians 13 (1-7, 13):

If I speak the languages of men and of angels, but do not have love, I am a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have [the gift of] prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so that I can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I donate all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient; love is kind. Love does not envy; is not boastful; is not conceited; does not act improperly; is not selfish; is not provoked; does not keep a record of wrongs; finds no joy in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. … Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.

In a society that is becoming increasingly selfish and less about loving others, we should be the first to practice daily before others the true, sacrificial, biblical love of Jesus. Make a new commitment. Start fresh today.

I recently decided I needed to leave my spinster-in-the-making ways behind and start a fresh adventure. So I moved in with two other girls into a comfortable three-bedroom house.

In my excitement, I didn’t realize that this would cause me to do some serious self-evaluation of how I had been living the past few years. My move gave me a whole new understanding of the verse: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39).

It’s true. I’ve added a brand-new New Year’s resolution to my list. This isn’t something I chose to include; I was forced before I had the option to back out.

I’ve been made to sacrifice my privacy, and share my possessions and my time with my new roommates. I’ve had to be more considerate and mindful of their feelings, time, and stuff. I’ve actually had to stop thinking about myself and put them first.

It’s funny how God puts you in situations where you are made to realize and understand things you never saw before in yourself. All of a sudden I was faced with this new issue I never knew existed before in my life. As a result, I had to deal with it and change my ways.

I’ve made a new commitment to become less self-centered and more God- and people-centered. These moments of self-realization make me wonder what else I’m blinded from understanding about the person I am and/or should be in Christ.

How many times do I miss what God is trying to teach me? How often do I ignore the Holy Spirit because I’m too comfortable? And how much do I put myself before Jesus when I don’t even know it?

I think it’s something we all need to think about as we start a new year.

But when it comes to Christmas, those rules go flying out the window. I love Christmas—the lights, the songs, the holiday parties, spending time with my family—and even the ugly Christmas sweaters.

More than anything, I love celebrating Jesus during this time.

This year, my brother brought his girlfriend along for our trip to Grandma’s house. This generally would have been an exciting introduction into our family. But this girl is Jewish, and doesn’t celebrate Jesus, His birth, or anything pertaining to this holiday.

I’ve been so sheltered and surrounded my entire life by a family—parents, grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc—that completely embrace what this season means and who love Jesus deeply. I forget there are people in America that don’t believe in what this time of the year symbolizes.

I know my brother’s girlfriend heard the plan of salvation more than 15 times through prayers, Bible readings, and casual conversation. Yet she still thinks the whole idea of Jesus is ridiculous.

I think most of get so wrapped up in what Christmas means for us and our families and how Americanized it’s become, we can’t see that it’s the most valuable, opportune time to share Christ’s love with those who don’t know him.

Easter is coming up next. Perfect opportunity, don’t you think?