Today, if you were to walk through the seasonal section of any retail store, Target, Wal-Mart, or Kroger, you will find empty or scarce shelves where Valentines candy and merchandise once filled them.

And what is left over, will quickly be reduced to 50% off so the store can clear it out and make room for the next holiday.

It’s sad, really. Valentines, the day of love, is only allocated for one day. No more. Then we go about our lives until the next year.

Americans spend nearly $20 billion dollars on Valentines day. Can you imagine if we averaged out that amount over 365 days just how different our world would be? What if we recognized and celebrated love every day?

I posted this pic from the Galentines event I went to last night at Lifeway.

Apparently, it inspired my friend Christy to share this.

Love isn’t about whether you’re married, in a relationship, single, you got flowers, chocolate, jewelry, dinner, a spa certificate, or whatever else today. Love comes from God. That’s all that matters. Love God first because love comes from HIM—not Valentines Day. That’s all I have to say about that. 🙂

So as I go about my day on this February 15th, the day after love, I’m going to continue as if it were Valentines Day and I’m going to love Him by extending love to others.

• I’m going to buy that tub of Otis Spunkmeyer cookies from one of my kids at Church (even though I currently have a tub in the freezer), because I love her and I want to help her in achieving her goal.
• I’m going to buy another subscription to a magazine that I could possibly not read because I love my niece and I want her to receive her Super Mario glow in the dark t-shirt. Besides I like being called a “super sponsor” 🙂

Maybe I am different because love for me is 365 days a year and not just one. I know this because I’ve created room on the shelf of my heart that will last longer than a day. I’m so full of love at the moment that I cannot help but to extend it out to others 🙂

What does your shelf look like?