Valentine’s Day is a time when many people celebrate the love of their lives. But we must realize that real love doesn’t just happen. Love is something we grow in.

Love grows when it’s cultivated. In the same way that farmers have to nurture the seeds they’ve planted for their crop to grow, we must care for the love God has planted in our hearts so it will grow. And once we sow that love into other people’s lives, we must still watch over and cultivate it for it to produce a harvest.

To grow in the love of God, you must think and act in line with love. And Philippians 4:8 tells us the way love thinks. You must replace the negative with the positive. You do that by immersing yourself in God’s Word. For example, every time you see someone who has wronged you, instead of thinking badly about them, think on the good. Instead of thinking about what that person did to hurt you, remember that the Bible says, “Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them” (Ps. 119:165).

Gardens don’t grow by themselves, and love won’t either. You must take it upon yourself to be sure the ground of your heart is always soft. In this world it’s all too easy to allow your heart to become hardened and calloused. Be sure there is nothing that will drain the life out of your love. If bitterness, hate, and unforgiveness grow up around your heart, they will consume the nutrition that your love needs to flourish.

Even though God abundantly poured out His love in our hearts (Rom. 5:5 AMP), He won’t force us to grow in love. We have to work at it and be patient while it grows.

Don’t give up if the only sign of love you see is a little seedling. Take God’s Word as your promise and water that Word daily by confessing and obeying it. Cultivate the love God has given you, and you will reap the harvest you are waiting for.