In towns, cities, perhaps almost anywhere, lie cards with red hearts inscribed on them and fresh roses from the florists\u2019 gardens and synthetic ones. On a day like this, such articles should obviously abound.<\/p>\n
They symbolise love\u2014 that passionate feeling which people have towards each other.<\/p>\n
And in sharing them, there is the fortification of unions and the strengthening of vows, some lovers, old and young, say from experience.<\/p>\n
While the day may not have a significant appreciation in the Christian community of present times, there are those who observe that it should allow for more passionate, compassionate and selfless acts towards loved ones and others.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Christians understand that love is about the other person, not about yourself, then the day can serve to strengthen one\u2019s commitment to the other person,\u201d Pastor Nick Chakwera of International Christian Assembly in Lilongwe says.<\/p>\n
He notes that pure love is self-giving, selfless and sacrificial while impure love is about fulfilling selfish desires and lusts.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf spouses focus on what they can do to the other, not what the other person will do to them, then their unions will be stronger,\u201d Chakwera counsels.<\/p>\n
However, he argues that it is only in committed marriages can pure love be guaranteed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe rest is probably not love but selfish lust,\u201d he declares.<\/p>\n
That should, obviously, provide some food for thought to those who, despite understanding the true essence of love, take Valentine\u2019s Day as a moment to express their lust.<\/p>\n
For instance, witticisms circulating on social media about pairs getting each other pregnant or contracting dangerous diseases on the day are not mere figments of the imagination.<\/p>\n
They are born out of realities, some later documented publicly or privately in their aftermaths which could be sexually transmitted infections and unplanned pregnancies.<\/p>\n
Yet the original story of St. Valentine has a lot of spiritual import, according to Pastor Chakwera and others that we have talked to.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe believed in love and marriage to the point of death. In short, true love is something to die for. That\u2019s spiritually rich,\u201d Chakwera states.<\/p>\n
From several other accounts of people who probably understand better the origin of Valentine\u2019s Day, the consensus is that it is beyond just the giving of cards with hearts and roses and the wearing of red clothes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe cards and roses and all those articles which people share on Valentine\u2019s Day are, of course, significant symbols of love. But true love must transcend them,\u201d Fletcher Chirwa, a Lilongwe-based social worker argues.<\/p>\n
He opines that much as giving is part of showing love, perhaps people must also engage in some deep reflection on how they can strengthen their unions.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is also important to appreciate that Valentine\u2019s Day\u2019s love is not limited to those with close loved ones. It may as well be worthwhile to visit the sick, the poor, the suffering and meet their needs in whatever way,\u201d Chirwa adds.<\/p>\n
That is a perspective held by others too including Pastor Rash Zimba of God\u2019s Embassy in Mchinji who observes that true love must be expressed by giving.<\/p>\n
From Christianity\u2019s point of view, that giving is first manifested in the deed when God gave his son Jesus to save humankind, according to Zimba.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo me, Valentine\u2019s Day is a good thing because, in essence, it promotes love. This should be true love, love in the family, love for couples and love in communities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Bible states in 1 John 4 verse 8 that he who does not love does not know God. So it is from God himself that love begins and we must love to know him,\u201d Zimba says.<\/p>\n
He, therefore, urges Christians to take part in celebrating Valentine\u2019s Day through acts that will show ultimate love wherever they are.<\/p>\n
According to Zimba, by promoting love, the day consequently strengthens unions and allows loved ones to review their commitments while not forgetting that God first loved his people.<\/p>\n
Yet still, there are other expressions of love during Valentine\u2019s Day which cannot be ignored.<\/p>\n
For instance, as Roses Only, Australia\u2019s leading floral retailernotes, in some parts of the world, the day is usually observed through expressing love between family members and friends, rather than romantic couples.<\/p>\n
The store states on its website that many couples choose to celebrate Valentine\u2019s Day with dinner, a picnic or special home-cooked meal.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany restaurants offer Valentine\u2019s Day Dinner promotions and food is often presented with symbols of love like hearts and flowers. Another popular Valentine\u2019s Day activity is to indulge in a luxury hotel stay in a beautiful location, allowing a couple to get away from it all and enjoy some quality time together.<\/p>\n
\u201cMarriage proposals are also popular on Valentine\u2019s Day, and it is often chosen as the perfect day to express their love and commitment,\u201d it says.<\/p>\n
Roses Only also notes that some marriage proposals are delivered very creatively, such as after climbing to the top of a mountain.<\/p>\n
This should be particularly the case with modern couples that often seek some unique dimension to their unions.<\/p>\n
Lilongwe-based musician and music producer Khumbo Kaliwo and his wife Jessie who is a lead vocalist in popular choir, Great Angels, say to them valentine is about loving and loving and loving.<\/p>\n
\u201cMuch as love does not have any special day when it can be expressed, Valentine\u2019s Day is a unique moment for us to reflect on our journey together. We have to grow together and every opportunity to look back at where we are coming from is a unique one,\u201d Khumbo says.<\/p>\n
On her part, Jessie says she believes sharing is supposed to be an important part of celebrating Valentine\u2019s Day, especially when there are many people in need.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs we express our affection to our loved ones, we must also remember others who are lacking some basic needs. To me, that is Valentine\u2019s Day extended and it is an important dimension especially to us Christians,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
And as both pastors Chakwera and Zimba note, Christians must take Valentine\u2019s Day as it should be: a day to love and make unions stronger and a day to spread the love through giving.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In towns, cities, perhaps almost anywhere, lie cards with red hearts inscribed on them and fresh roses from the florists\u2019 gardens and synthetic ones. On a day like this, such articles should obviously abound. They symbolise love\u2014 that passionate feeling which people have towards each other. And in sharing them, there is the fortification of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":60695,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-60691","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60691","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60691"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60691\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60697,"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60691\/revisions\/60697"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60691"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60691"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.times.mw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60691"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}