Feb 18, 2025
The Love They Are Not Looking For
So, Valentine’s Day is over. The roses have wilted, the chocolates are half-eaten, and for some, the disappointment is settling in. Maybe you were hoping for something more: more attention, more effort, more proof that love exists for you too. Or maybe you’re just glad the whole thing is over because, honestly, love has been a letdown.
That’s why today, we’re talking about an Anti-Valentine’s message—not against love, but against the counterfeit versions of love that the world sells us. The kind of love that feels good but isn’t real. The kind that fades as fast as Valentine’s decorations in a store window. The kind that leaves people broken instead of whole.
The Love That’s Based on Feelings (Jeremiah 17:9)
The world tells us to “follow your heart,” but the Bible tells us that “the heart is deceitful above all things.” Feelings change. One minute, you’re the love of their life; the next, they’re ghosting you. If love is only as strong as emotions, it will never last. Real love is a commitment, not a mood.
The Love That’s Self-Seeking (1 Corinthians 13:5)
Valentine’s has a way of magnifying the “What about me?” mindset. Did they post me? Did they spoil me? Did they make me feel loved? But love—true love—asks, “How can I give?” not just “What can I get?” When love is only about fulfilling desires, it becomes selfish, not sacrificial. And that kind of love always runs dry.
The Love That Needs Validation (John 4:13-14)
Some chase relationships just to prove they are lovable. Others settle for situationships because “something is better than nothing.” But Jesus told the woman at the well—“Whoever drinks from this water will thirst again.” No amount of romance, attention, or Instagram-worthy moments can satisfy a soul that is thirsty for something deeper.
The Love That’s Just a Performance (Matthew 15:8)
In a world of social media grand gestures, love can become a spectacle rather than something sacred. People post their #ForeverMine captions while battling private heartbreak. Love that’s just for show is empty love. True love doesn’t need an audience,it is real behind closed doors.
So What’s the Alternative?
If Anti-Valentine’s means rejecting the world’s empty version of love, then what’s the real thing?
Love that stays when feelings fade.
Love that gives more than it takes.
Love that doesn’t need external proof to be real.
Love that isn’t a performance but a reflection of Christ.
Maybe this Valentine’s didn’t live up to the hype. Maybe you’ve been let down by love before. Maybe you’re over it altogether. But before you write off love, ask yourself: Have I truly experienced the love of God?
Because His love isn’t a holiday. It’s not temporary. It’s not transactional. It’s a love that pursues you on your best days and your worst. A love that says, “You are mine,” even when the world says, “You’re not enough.”
And that’s a love worth choosing: on Valentine’s, after Valentine’s, and every day after that.