FollowTraveling outside the United States is eye-opening. Suddenly, surrounded me are people speaking a “foreign” language. At first glance, it seems like some elaborate immersive stage drama concocted for my amusement. Each display of writing is a puzzle of interpretation, and my pocket-dictionary attempts at conversation or, at a minimum, seeking direction feel clumsy.
And so it is with loving others. It’s easy to love others when we speak a common language. If I appreciate receiving physical touch, it may feel natural to give a handshake, pat on the back, or hug. We very often “speak” the same love language that we long to “hear.” Loving outside our “language” requires learning and humility.
Knowing oneself and how we desire to be loved is essential, but it’s only the first step toward loving others. Hebrews 13:1 commands us to love, to set aside ourselves in deference others. Engage with someone else in conversation about their love language, watch over time how they act when they love others; it can be quite revealing. Use what you find out to target that person, sharing the love that you have received from God in a language they can understand.
And herein lies the rub: to be a sustainable action, this love must come from a deep place, greater than any human can conjure. Only with God, filled with His Spirit, is this possible!
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)
Do this in remembrance of Me . . .
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