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By Myrtle Virginia Thompson

Decades ago when I was growing up, it was always a special day. Mostly, the valentines were nice, good wishes expressing love. It seems the world never changes. It wasn’t the lack of information about this special day, the only one in 365 to tell us a better way to live is by showing love. Retailers made sure of that, plenty of valentine cards, candy and chocolates.

It was the media filling the air waves with the bad news about the possibility of war. I wanted a reprieve. Along with that, all eyes were on the Super Bowl.

And now I have a confession. It was not the super bowl nor the media which kept my Valentine’s Day article out of the Suffolk News-Herald. I wrote, but like all the elderly (and sometimes the young) I forgot to send it. It was left in drafts — perfect proof of how we can miss the mark, even with good intentions.

I am writing now to extend thanks to this paper and to Tracy Agnew for her work — and I think that is tied to love — for keeping this paper going as editor these past few years I have known of it. As she leaves, I hope the next editor comes soon, because the News-Herald is one of those legacies we have because of someone’s faithfulness. Both writing and reading are so important for a civilized society.

Now about those red valentines: It seems to me we needed them more than ever this year, because they use a word we all need to hear — love. For so long, we have been dealt Covid news, stats and “to mask or not to mask.” It has made friends become enemies. Most of us were weary and wanted to move on when we discovered the next chapter in the book seemed to be worse — that possibility of war! What kind of world is facing the youth and children of our day, and who has created it? As a student and lover of biblical truths, I know the answer to that question. We have done it to ourselves.

There are only two kingdoms that rule in this world. One is the Kingdom of Light and the other is the Kingdom of darkness. Call them each by a four-letter word, Love and Hate. We choose and live in one of those. The Kingdom of Light is Love and is controlled by God, the Kingdom of Darkness is a kingdom of Hate, ruled by His enemy. It has been so since the beginning of time. We make choices and live by those choices. When the choices we made do not work out, we begin to blame something or someone else. Our personal worlds become shattered. Sadly, things shattered cannot be put back together, so is there no hope?

Thankfully, there is. We can have the privilege of a new life in Christ. Romans 3:23 tells us we are all sinners. No one is excluded. Romans 6:23 tells us a penalty has to be paid for sin. It has been that way from the beginning of time. John 3:16 tells us of a very loving God — omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent — Who accepts us on His terms, confession of sin and our need of help.

The apostle John has added, “Herein is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and has given Himself for us.”

Another biblical writer wrote, “Let love be without dissimulation; abhor that which is evil, cleave to that which is good.” We can do that only when we allow God to rule our lives. Let’s continue the tradition of love, even without it being called Valentine’s Day. We are in desperate need to change our ways from the ugliness we hear every day. No one can really live with those harsh and angry words.

Myrtle Thompson is the writer and author of a book about her life as a Christian in three foreign countries. Contact her at mvtgrt@gmail.com.