Valentines Day: Love vs. Respect vs. Desire

Hey everyone,
I know this is about a week late, but since it's still February, and since holidays SHOULD still be relevant even after you celebrate them, I figured I would finish and post these thoughts anyway.

Every year, everyone get very excited about Valentine's Day.  Even if there isn't necessarily someone in a person's life, he or she will usually try to find a significant other to spend the holiday with and often time form a hasty, poorly thought-out relationship with that person.  The problem with these relationships is that there is almost never real love or respect involved in them.

The most important part of any successful relationship is love.  In the Bible, the apostle Paul says, "If I have not love, I am nothing."  The same goes for relationships.  Without really loving the other person in your relationship, it is destined to fail, no matter what.  Love is more than just that warm fuzzy feeling, though.  some people say it involves trust, dedication, or other things.  I say that you can't have any of that without respect.

Respect is equally as important as love.  Any of the little things that make a relationship enjoyable and fulfilling -- trust, devotion, random notes or the many courteous acts of a chivalrous person (that's right girls, it's alright for you to do thoughtful stuff, too)-- stem from a deep-rooted respect for the other person.  If you don't respect someone, you can't trust them.  That leads to tensions in the relationship, jealousy and stress, which are all huge contributing factors to the demise of many relationships, and even marriages.

So take some advice for this year and beyond.  The next time you're considering dating/courting someone, ask yourself two big questions, before you go and hurt yourself.
     1. Do I truly respect him/her?
     2. Do I love him/her, or will my feelings realistically turn into love?

Hopefully this will either be a wakeup call for you, or a confirmation in some way.  Either way, take care of yourself out there, and have a belated Happy Valentine's Day.

-Jacob