My wife loves this season—Thanksgiving to Christmas to Valentine’s Day. She decorates our home for all the holidays and watches the seasonal Hallmark movies. It brings her such joy, and I’m so blessed to have been united with her for over 47 years.

Growing up in rural Kansas, before Valentine’s Day our parents would help us shop for Valentine’s cards. “Be my Valentine!” with cartoons and animated animals. We then took them to school on Valentine’s Day and passed them out to all of our classmates. Those were the days!

The New Testament speaks of two kinds of love, both translated from the Greek language. First, there is agape love. Agape speaks of unconditional, selfless and true love. Eros love speaks of sensual or passionate love. Eros love is the kind of love a married couple shares.

A good marriage has both eros and agape love. 1 Corinthians 13, often referred to as the “love chapter,” says this: “If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others (agape love), I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing.”

I could speak like an angel. I could understand all of God’s plans and have infinite knowledge. I could have faith to move mountains. I could even give away all my belongings to the poor and sacrifice my body as a martyr. But, if I don’t have love, I’m useless. The Bible says we know how to love because God first loved us. It says that he is love. In fact, it says he loved us so much that he sacrificed his own son in order for us to have life. I can’t imagine. What does he ask in return? That we believe he is who he says he is and that we believe he is the sacrifice for our sins.

1 Corinthians 13 goes on to describe love: “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”

As we go into February, the only way to heal the unrest and chaos in our world is to reach out in love. The Bible says we are to be peacemakers. That doesn’t mean we are to lay down or back away. But, we are to stand in love, patience and kindness. We are to be humble, not proud or rude. We are to stand firm without being demanding. We don’t keep records of others’ wrongs. We do not rejoice with injustice. We love without giving up. We do not lose faith, and we are always hopeful. Our love will endure through every circumstance.