Because of Love

Note of Thanks

Thank you readers for checking my site or stopping back for a second visit!  As I mentioned in my last post, I used to blog years ago; however, it was for the designated purpose of keeping in touch with loved ones as I lived outside of London teaching.  (http://missenghfromamerica.blogspot.com/) Now being back in Minnesota for a couple of years, I have found that I miss writing.  To be rather transparent, I feel as though I am still getting my feet wet with blog writing.  Thanks for sticking with me as I share my thoughts with you.

Because of Love

Love is a powerful element.  It can knock you off your feet; compel you to act outside of your character; push you to be a better person.  I am surrounded by love: x’s and o’s from my family, uplifting and loving companionship with my friends, and an incredible relationship with the love of my life.  For the moment, I’d like to brag on him for a minute, as this will tie into the purpose of this note.  (Also, I just like to brag on him…)  I am blessed with an amazing relationship with my boyfriend of over two years.  J still surprises me with flowers and treats me to dinners.  I can share anything with J without feeling judged or questioned.  Our strong relationship is the result of plenty of effort and time spent in relationship maintenance.  J and I will occasionally do a “check-in” with each other.  These “check-in” times give each of us a chance to give honest feedback about our relationship.  We are especially fond of catering to each other’s primary love languages.  J knows that I need quality time with him in order to feel loved and admired.  I make sure that I verbalized to J the things that I admire about him.  It is through this method of communication that we can maintain a high level of trust and security.  I love, love, love making J feel like he is the center of my little world!  We are a great team!  Yet, it is important to remember that teamwork takes effort in order to become stronger.

Any relationship is an investment.  Many studies have shown that interpersonal relationships are critical factors in happiness.  If time spent with others brings happiness, it is probably safe to say that for most, putting effort into relationships is a worthwhile cause.  I know that when I invest into my friendships or into my relationship with J the result is so very worth the time. 

During church one Sunday, I was sitting listening to the sermon when I was reminded of how our first love should be God. (Matthew 6:33; Exodus 20:3) Your first love is where you invest yourself.  Where do you invest your time?  Your money? (Matthew 6:21)  I thought to myself, “Gosh!  I really try to put God first… I do my devotions twice a day, I try to talk to God throughout the day, I try to speak His word, I listen to Christian music, I go to church… why do I feel as though I could be doing more?”  Admittedly, seeking God first in all things is a lot more difficult when in a relationship.  Especially a relationship in which you are head-over-heels-crazy-in-love!  Priorities do not always fall where they should, despite my best efforts…

The Brain Whoosh

So there I was, sitting in church pondering these things when <whoosh!>  I was hit with a wonderful brain whoosh. 

Brain whoosh 

Noun 

1 The event in which a sudden idea hits the cerebrum at such force one’s mouth often is left a gap. 

2 Nicknamed by an amazing group of 2^nd graders.

           

God deserves my greatest affection.  My heart and energy.  Love is a verb.  I need to demonstrate my love for Him more.  But how?  If I wanted to reframe my thinking about loving God and putting Him first, I needed to fall back onto something familiar.  I would need to use something that would require my thoughts and time as an investment.  It must be something that needed my efforts to go the extra mile… the five love languages was just the ticket.  J and I used these frequently.  Since I have read several of the books by Chapman on the subject, I feel pretty well versed in the subject area.

The Theory

            For those that are unfamiliar with Gary Chapman’s theory, I will briefly explain it. Chapman hypothesizes that we each have an emotional need for love.  If it can be imagined, we each have, as Chapman describes, a “love tank” that needs to be filled.  Individuals show love in five different ways, which can be thought of as five different languages: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch.  We each have a primary love language that is a bit more meaningful to us that will fill our “love tank.”  (Chapman, 2010). Gary Chapman’s books are amazing.  He intertwines psychology, research, and experience beautifully in his books.  His ideas are practical and worth the time to check out.

The Plan

            “…God is love.” (1 John 4:8)  If God is love itself, focusing on a primary love language is not necessary.  The purpose of utilizing the love language theory is that it requires effort and it is familiar to me.  The time I spend in putting the love languages theory into practice in my relationship with God will hopefully aid in refocusing my attention on my first love.  From now until Easter, I am going to choose 1 love language a week and implement it as an add-on to my preexisting lifestyle.  My hope is that taking the extra effort to actively demonstrate my love for God will deepen my affection for Him. I am going to start with quality time, as it is my primary love language. You are more than welcome to join me in this plan.  I will be sharing with you how this plan works and if it helps me fall (even more!) head-over-heels in love with the Maker of the universe.  Please feel free to share ideas or things you do to keep God as your main focus and love.  

Here’s the plan, folks!

Month	January	January	February	February	February
Week Starting	21st	28th	4th	11th	18th
Love Language being used	Quality Time	Words of Affirmation	Gifts	Acts of Service	Physical Touch
How?	Spend half an hour this week alone in “praise and worship” time.	*To be announced! (Please feel free to share ideas!)	*To be announced!	*To be announced!	*To be announced!

*More weeks to be posted later. 

*Chapman, G. 2010. The 5 love languages: the secret to love that lasts. Northfield Publishing: Chicago, Illinois.