Luv is a Verb
Livin’ the vida loca at Sanoa Island, DR
Do you think that you love others well? Do you love people how they want to be loved or do you show them love based on how you feel and accept love? Have you even thought about how you love others?
Still wondering? Here are a few examples of love:
Do you give compliments to people as a show of your love for them?
Do you affirm their actions, saying, “I’m proud of you!” and make sure that you speak words of love to them?
Do you tend to give hugs and want PDA from your spouse, so you feel loved?
Do you feel most loved by little gifts like a feather or stone found on a summer day?
Do you make little gestures of love, like a glance or blow a kiss to your spouse at the dinner take?
Do you purposefully put your cell phone down and give your spouse your full attention?
Do you schedule time with your loved ones, family, and friends to just hang out together?
What really floats your boat and fills your love tank?
One of my favorite ways to be loved is for someone to take out the trash without being asked or prodded. I like to help others in need to demonstrate my love for them.
These examples of showing love connect with some more than others. Now, if you’re intrigued, read on…
You may be presuming or assuming that the person you are “loving” receives what you are putting out as “love” and that they feel loved. If you don’t know your partner’s love language, you may be sending the wrong signals to them or speaking a language they don’t understand or receive as love. The act of taking out the recycling is a nice gesture, but to someone who needs affection, they feel starved for a hug and don’t even see that you took the recycling out in a snowstorm as an act of love. They may not even acknowledge the act, which makes the person who provided the service feel unloved, ignored, and mistreated. “How dare they not even notice I took out the recycling when it was zero degrees and snow up to my knees!”
The way we express love and the way we receive love is dependent on our own unique make-up and may not speak to those you love. “The one who chooses to love will find appropriate ways to express that decision every day.” – Gary Chapman.
Gary Chapman the author of 5 love languages has been married for over 50 years; and is also a pastor, author and speaker. His book has been translated into 50 languages and sold more than 12 million copies worldwide, outlines the five love languages as: Words of affirmation, Acts of service, Receiving gifts, Quality time and Physical touch. Gary stated; “Taking the time to learn and really understand your partner’s primary love language, which is often different from our own, can improve communication and strengthen your bond.”
I encourage you to pick up a copy of his book or watch a video on how we speak different love languages. Check out this video, that shows how we speak often can speak different love languages.
To wrap up this blog post I invite you to watch one of my favorite music videos about Love, Love One Another by the Newsboys!
Love is a verb you know! You DC Talk fans will know what I’m talkin’ bout!