There's this concept in "Christian-ese" called love languages. It was originally coined by a man named Gary Chapman, who wrote a book called "The Five Love Languages." He says that everyone speaks at least 1 of 5 love languages - words of encouragement, acts of service, quality time, physical touch, and gifts. Many people speak more than one language, but almost everyone has a dominant one, a language that speaks to them more than the others do.
My love language is, and always has been, gift-giving. It's how I both give and receive affection. I love spending on people that I care about, investing creativity and money and time to give them something that speaks to them. The problem is, no one in my life is a gift-giver. It was something I really struggled with as a little girl - I constantly felt unloved, because no one in my life knew how to speak my language, nor I theirs. As time went on, I learned to be more understanding, and to appreciate the efforts that people do make, however small they may be. But there's always a bit of a hole, a noticeable gap, a tangible emptiness where I want to be spoken to in my own language, and frequently am not.
I was reading in Acts today about the day of Pentecost, how God breathed into His people and allowed them to start speaking in other tongues. I know that this passage is talking about the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues, of actually speaking literal languages that you have never learned before to use them to minister to others. But I wonder if it can't be used in reference to other types of languages, as well. "Love languages," for example.
The Bible says that the people were amazed and in awe when they heard the apostles speaking to them in their own tongues. In my own small way, I can relate to what they were feeling. I imagine how I would feel if someone in my life all of a sudden started speaking my love language to me, when they had never been able to do so in the past. I picture my shock, my delight, my excitement. It's nothing short of miraculous to have something like that happen, and when it does, it blesses the recipient like few things can.
When the Holy Spirit visits us, it's not just spiritual tongues that He gives us. God wants us to be able to minister to people's physical needs as well as their spiritual ones. I can't tell you how many times over the past few weeks I've followed the Holy Spirit's prompting and done something for someone that I thought fairly small and insignificant, and it turned out to be exactly what they needed. Don't get me wrong, I'm not discounting spiritual gifts and prayer. But sometimes, we really just need a word of encouragement, a meal and a sympathetic ear, or a good old-fashioned hug. Don't neglect the physical for the spiritual. Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, and let Him teach you how to speak whatever language is needed.
My love language is, and always has been, gift-giving. It's how I both give and receive affection. I love spending on people that I care about, investing creativity and money and time to give them something that speaks to them. The problem is, no one in my life is a gift-giver. It was something I really struggled with as a little girl - I constantly felt unloved, because no one in my life knew how to speak my language, nor I theirs. As time went on, I learned to be more understanding, and to appreciate the efforts that people do make, however small they may be. But there's always a bit of a hole, a noticeable gap, a tangible emptiness where I want to be spoken to in my own language, and frequently am not.
I was reading in Acts today about the day of Pentecost, how God breathed into His people and allowed them to start speaking in other tongues. I know that this passage is talking about the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues, of actually speaking literal languages that you have never learned before to use them to minister to others. But I wonder if it can't be used in reference to other types of languages, as well. "Love languages," for example.
The Bible says that the people were amazed and in awe when they heard the apostles speaking to them in their own tongues. In my own small way, I can relate to what they were feeling. I imagine how I would feel if someone in my life all of a sudden started speaking my love language to me, when they had never been able to do so in the past. I picture my shock, my delight, my excitement. It's nothing short of miraculous to have something like that happen, and when it does, it blesses the recipient like few things can.
When the Holy Spirit visits us, it's not just spiritual tongues that He gives us. God wants us to be able to minister to people's physical needs as well as their spiritual ones. I can't tell you how many times over the past few weeks I've followed the Holy Spirit's prompting and done something for someone that I thought fairly small and insignificant, and it turned out to be exactly what they needed. Don't get me wrong, I'm not discounting spiritual gifts and prayer. But sometimes, we really just need a word of encouragement, a meal and a sympathetic ear, or a good old-fashioned hug. Don't neglect the physical for the spiritual. Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit, and let Him teach you how to speak whatever language is needed.
Acts 2:1-11
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”
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