It's way past my bedtime and I should be doing homework or sleeping right now, but instead I am lying here thinking and wasting time. What am I thinking about? Well you really don't want the in-depth answer so I'll give you the simple one...love. In fact, I've been contemplating love a lot lately. You all probably know by now that I tend to be a hopeless romantic. Yet instead of focusing on my love life--or lack there of--I've been studying Biblical love along with the five love languages. So here's a few insights into how I've been thinking lately.
First, if you haven't read anything about the five love languages, you probably should. There are versions of the book for couples, singles, teens, and kids. There are also summaries you can find online and a short profile assessment you can take to better understand yourself (http://www.5lovelanguages.com/). I'm not trying to promote anything. I am not directly connected with the book or theories. I have just found some great insight through it in the past month. A quote from the book I have posted on my wall summarizes the views of the book. "Expressing love in a person's primary love language enhances all relationships." The Bible talks many times about loving everybody (Mark 12:30-31). So why isn't our goal to understand how to express love to everyone around us? Everyone has a different way that they express and accept love. If we want to love those closest to us, we need to understand what makes them tick and we need to allow them to see what makes our heart feel loved. So as I make it my goal to try and show love to those around me in the ways that will fill them most, what steps will you take to love those around you? Who do you need to open up to so they can better love you?
The next insight I feel I should share also partially comes from this book, but more completely it comes from the Bible. Love is a choice. Now don't get me wrong, I definitely believe in falling in love. However, the "in love" experience can only last for so long. We fall head over heals for someone and then eventually we begin to see flaws. According to the Bible, we are called to love our enemies. Here's my question: if we have the capabilities to choose to love our enemies, then isn't it a logical assumption that we choose to love everyone? When the "in love" experience dies away, what will you choose to do? Keep loving or walk away? Also, are we taking time to choose to love those who are hurting us? If love is a choice, we should be able to step back and love everyone around us to the fullest.
Now that I've ranted well past my bed time and not done any homework, I have one final question for you. If you are searching/waiting for romantic love like I am, are you just hoping and begging for the "in love" experience or do you want the real deal? Real love is about waking up each morning and choosing to love the person to which you have committed your life. Choosing that no matter what happens or what they do or who else comes along you will forever love that person only second to God. So are you looking for a person you can commit to choose to love or just someone who gives you a hype until something better comes along? Well that's all the deep thinking this stressed out and exhausted college student can handle for now. Goodnight to all and to all a quacky new day.
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