Many hold high expectations about Valentine’s Day, planning special dinners, vacations, or floral deliveries. That’s not love. It’s not a matter of gift-giving or anything material. It’s a recognition and respect of another, wherever they are in their stage of life.

Life can get overwhelming. Sometimes our trials and tribulations can pile up heavy on our hearts. We don’t believe God is near. However, our current feelings about our current state don’t speak much about the whole of our past, present, and future. All feelings are transient, yet God is enduring. Even if we don’t “feel” God, oftentimes it’s because he’s behind us, whispering “just keep going.”

It’s easy to get discouraged and dark, particularly when external circumstances reflect negativity. When this happens, spend time rekindling the flame of love. This means reading or hearing words of encouragement. Find a “go-to” passage that warms you. One of mine is from “The Greatest Salesman in the World.”

It might be easy to love those close to us, but how do we love those who are not? We can at least wish for them to be free from suffering. We can allow a fraction of the love we feel towards those close to us to seep out towards those we don’t know. If we want to feel joy, we can aim to extend this fraction of love. Then, as the Sutta Nipata says, “Your life will bring heaven to earth.”

Many times we suffer twice when we worry. Our thoughts and rumination about something that may or may not occur can do more harm than that something. Practice letting things be in your mind. Allow them to arrive, but refrain from speaking back to them.

We’re often told to “trust our feelings,” but then we’re told that our feelings can mask reality. Which is it? It’s both. To a certain extent, our emotions drive us to do something. When out of control, they drive us out of control. We use time in withdrawal and restraint to sharpen our feelings. We then use reason to help steer our emotions towards things that effect a fruitful life.

People in the US cling to this concept of liberty. We proclaim it when we make choices that defy certain rules or structures. We claim it more as a right rather than a responsibility. We do little to consider the consequences of our choices. Then, when our choice wreaks havoc on our lives or the lives of others, we want to blame others. It’s important for us to own the responsibility of our liberated choices so that we can continually grow as individuals and as a society.

Stress and emotion create a toxic cocktail. They work together to wreak havoc over our lives and the lives of others. We see images and videos of others who have sought control over others when they themselves are uncontrollable. We must take measures to harness them so they don’t control us. We can use them as fuel for our actions, using reason as the reins.

Many people go about their lives restless, never knowing the meaning of their circumstances. If we look closely, we might recognize that through our suffering we find our purpose. We can use our voice to complain about our circumstances, or we can use it to inspire others to see through them. We all have a voice, a purpose. Do we use it for our personal gain or for the benefit of the world?

The law of attraction has benefits in that it opens your eyes in ways they might have been closed. However, we can’t be too fixed on the outcome. Even in prayer, we easily get frustrated when our prayers aren’t answered in ways we expect. But each time we ask, we get what we most need at the right moment.