Understanding your love languages leads you to better understand yourself and how others give and receive love. Gary Chapman’s 5 Love Languages are, “Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Receiving Gifts, Quality Time, and Physical Touch.” In a romantic relationship, it’s fun to know what your significant other’s love language is, but it’s also beneficial to know the love languages of many of those around you. Naturally, I find myself loving others in the way I desire to receive love, but others do not always want to receive love in that way. In pursuit of intentional relationships, I listen, observe, and ask people when they feel most loved? Love languages are not used exclusively for romantic relationships. Understanding love languages are also a handy tool to use in both friendships & familial relationships.
My husband, Austin’s love languages are physical touch, words of affirmation, and quality time. My love languages are quality time, acts of service, and physical touch. Intentionally pursuing my husband looks like finding ways to love him in the ways he desires to be loved, even when I naturally want to love him in the ways I wish to be loved.
In friendships, familial relationships, and romantic relationships, understanding and using the love languages of those we love allows us to love them intentionally. Does God have a love language? How does God give and receive love? Just as we understand the love languages of others to pursue them in love deliberately, how can we use the bible to inform us on how to pursue God intentionally?
John 14:15 says, “If you love Me, obey my commandments.”
Do you love the Lord? Obey His commandments. Loving the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, and strength is more than loving Him how we desired to be loved; loving God requires obedience. God loves when His children are obedient to His word. To love God in the way He receives love, we must first know His word and commandments. We cannot be obedient to the things we are ignorant to, and cannot obey the things we do not know. Just as God pursues us by sending His only Son to die and pay for our sins, we must too die to ourselves and seek a life in the Lord far beyond ourselves. In a world informed by feelings, we must not be tossed in the winds of the storms of life. We must put down our anchor of truth and love God even when we do not understand or feel like loving Him. Loving God in the way He desires to be loved does not come naturally. We must work and dedicate our lives to loving Him with the obedience of our lives.
