What is so wrong about a man hiding flowers behind his back? Well nothing. Except that it is an incomplete picture. Valentine's Day isn't supposed to be just about men giving women flowers. It's supposed to be about love, and love requires action. So a true picture should show the man with the flowers and the woman with, I don't know, a pie? And love is not all about gifts or food, either. It's about selflessness and sacrifice and speaking love in a language that the person understands. (See The Five Love Languages.) Love is mutual.
I also believe that society demeans men overall. Why are we reducing men to machines that can only deliver flowers, or that need to deliver flowers or other pleasantries on Valentine's Day to show love? Still other popular advertisements debase men to the status of purely physical creatures that go after women because they have tacos in their purse, or are wearing a certain perfume. Really?
I have a lot of good men in my life, men who yes, sometimes, give me flowers, but who also love me in a lot of other really important ways. They encourage me. They pray for me. They compliment me. They help me calm down when I'm anxious. They change the oil in my car. They fix flat tires. They recognize when something is important to me and support me in doing it. And maybe that's why I'm so sensitive to the way that culture depicts men.
Men matter. I could go into why they matter not just to me, but to the health of society overall, but that is a topic for another post. For now, I'd like to express gratitude to all the great guys in my life, and encourage you to do the same. Let's start building up those around us and loving them well, because that's biblical and godly, and what we need to do if we want healthy, strong relationships.
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