I am mystified about love. I don't understand it, I can't logically put it into any category of anything I remotely "get", and I can't seem to find it, hold onto it and nurture it.

Mystification: a term I have just recently explored. It means that I am living in someone else's expectations of me. I learned early on that the only way I thought I could be loveable was when I wasn't being myself. I created a false self for acceptance and survival. I suspect that lots of you did too. What monsters we have made of ourselves….so much so that we don't even know who we are. No wonder our relationships suffer and lots of them don't last. We are running around trying to match up with someone, share ideas, become intimate, learn and grow towards each other and we don't even have a handle on who we really are. Hiding from the world is one thing. Hiding from yourself is quite another.

When you create this false self, your real self is immediately put on hold. It patiently waits for you to return and claim your place in this world. If you are living in the past, not the present, you are incapable of real love.

The Bible has a great deal to say about love. We all know the John 3:16 verse. We all know the I Corinthians 13 love verses recited at so many weddings. We remember the "Love your neighbor as yourself" command…..the list is endless. What does it mean for us right now in this time in history?

	Proverbs 8: 17  I love all who love me.  Those who search
	for me will surely find me.

We need a renewal of our faith. We need a revival of our true selves. We need acceptance…not from society but from within.

This Valentine's Day, do yourself a favor. Start a love affair………with yourself.