V-Day Rant

It's that day again. The day when greeting card companies and florists roam the land looking to browbeat hard hearts a little softer in the name of romance. "Do you really love/like/cherish your significant other?" they ask as if they care more about your relationship than the cash they hope you'll spend in cardboard message devices, dying roses, and fat-packed candies. "Then prove it. Nothing says true love like big dollars spent on disposable goods."

Okay, I'm not really that much of a V-Day grinch. I participate. I like showering my true love with affection. She likes to get the flowers and cards and whatnot. The feelings are real even if the day is as artificial as sugar-free chocolate.

But it's not just the profit-fueled expressions of tenderness that bug me. It's that the day makes a lot of students feel a little desperate. A small voice coos, "Everyone has a valentine but you. What exactly is wrong with you, loser?" For them, the traditions of the day just feel mean. Not everyone is meant to be in a romantic relationship today. Sometimes, God has a better plan for us, even in mid-February.

For those in relationships, it can be sweet. It can be a chance to affirm growing affections. But I know a few students carried away by romance who compromised their convictions about keeping physical limits on their relationship. It doesn't help that all those ads package the day with lingerie and lipstick. (Note: Don't tell Victoria any secrets; she can't keep anything under wraps.)

Instead of complaining, one group of Christian teens is claiming Valentine's Day as their own for a whole other purpose.

“We live in a culture hostile to traditional values which has produced shocking statistics on the state of our youth,” said a statement on the Day of Purity Web site. “The Day of Purity is a day on which students can make a public demonstration of their commitment to remain sexually pure, in mind and actions.”

Check out the Day of Purity site, and don't be bullied or seduced into giving your heart, mind, or body away to anyone in the name of artificial romance. The real thing -- built on biblical love -- is always worth celebrating.