I haven't been able to blog for a while, so I have a lot of thoughts I would like to just get out there, hence the two blog entries in one day.
I'm not sure if you have read the Gary Chapman book "The Five Love Languages". I haven't read it in such a long time... but my love language in giving is gifts and words of affirmation and acts of service... I really enjoy getting gifts for people, especially ones that I know the person would love, and I love writing notes (I just wish I had more time to actually sit down and write them) plus I like doing things for people when I can (again I'd do it more often if I could). Oh the five love languages are physical touch, words of affirmation, gifts, quality time and acts of service. My love language for receiving is FUN... I love all of them, but there has to be some fun that goes with it... Example...
1. Physical touch... P and I would wrestle and I loved it... got my physical touch in, but we were having fun.
2. Words of affirmation... P would write me little notes on our bathroom mirror with dry erase marker that were encouraging...
3. Gifts... P would hide them and have like a treasure hunt.
4. Quality Time... I like when we are having fun while enjoying each other...
5. Acts of Service... Let's see... P would change A's diaper and write a note on her bottom so next time when I went to change it, there would be a note for me.
So why am I talking about love language. Few months ago, I was with some people discussing God's love language. It doesn't fit Gary Chapman's list of love languages.... We were reading from John 14:15... "If you love me, you will obey what I command." God's love language we concluded was OBEDIENCE.
This came up again this past week and I was compelled to write about it...
Having had experience in relationships with family, friends, husband, child.... I have learned how important it is to know their love language... My friend TB is learning my love language of physical touch in a fun way by slapping my bottom (what I used to do with friends in high school). I've learned if I'm not speaking their love language they are not feeling loved. So if my friend feels loved when someone does an act of service and I'm not giving that to her, then she doesn't feel loved by me... doesn't matter how much I shower her with gifts... Same goes for husband and wife... P was a physical touch person and words of affirmation... If I deprived him of either of those, I wasn't being a loving wife...
So how are we doing with showing our love to our Savior... If you love me, you will obey what I command. Just as we can't keep telling people that we love them, but we are not hearing them enough to even know what they need... We cannot continue to say we love Jesus yet ignore His commands.
Today A and I went on a date and we were talking about her attitude... been having some whining issues and she says, "Mom I'm going to obey. Tomorrow Mom I'm going to obey." I had to explain to her I don't want her to obey me because I told her to, but I want her to obey me because she loves Jesus... God is the one who entrusted her to me and in the Bible it says, "Children obey your parents" and I remind of that often.
Our obedience should be an overflow of our love for Christ. In every little thing... every single little thing... I am in shock at myself at the end of the day sometimes and just kick myself in the butt... why did I not ask the Lord to lead me in that conversation? Why did I choose to ignore God prompting in praying for the girl at the photo store? Why did I not ask God if I should have taken the car today? - I mean how many opportunities did I miss by taking the car this time? Every little thing... and what I mentioned were not so little...
My expression of love for P was just never ending... I wanted so bad for him to know how much I loved him... In the beginning, I was never tired... I talked to him on the phone even though he woke me up (I was an early to bed back then). I made him lunch as I made mine... I wrote little notes for him and put it in the lunch bags... after we were married, I would hide little notes in his jacket, closet, shoe.... name it there was a little note from me saying how much he means to me and how much I love him...
I am embarrassed to say how much I lack in my expression of Love toward my Lord and Savior. His love language is OBEDIENCE... and I have failed to obey in all that He has commanded... I know I am human... but compared to what He has done for me... what I have done pales in comparison.
I don't even think OBEDIENCE is enough... When I ask A to do something... like put your dishes in the sink... I'm not satisfied with her doing it an hour later... even five minutes is not satisfactory for me... I expect an IMMEDIATE OBEDIENCE from her. I ask, she does... If that's what I expect that from my daughter... How much more do you think our Father in heaven expects that from us... Go to India... Yes Lord... Go to inner city Philly... Yes Lord... Go across the street... Yes Lord.... Give $500... Yes Lord... Share with George... Yes Lord...
How many of us, I'm guilty as charged also, hear the command and say... can I do this first Lord? or I'll go in 5 years... or even have the audacity to say ummm maybe next time God, why don't you send Jane over there... she's just so good at what you want me to do...
Sometimes we aren't even aware that God is knocking at our door just waiting for us to answer and hear Him... maybe for some of us He's been standing there for a while... days, weeks, months, years, decades... just waiting...
The other day I was at the photo store getting some pictures developed and I got to talking to the girl that was helping me. As we conversed, she told me how she's been married almost three years and she doesn't have a baby yet... she said she wants one so bad... and while listening, God said, "Esther pray for her"... and you know what I did... "God seriously... there are all the other workers. I can't pray..." and I didn't... and today I was there again to pick up the pictures and I gave up the opportunity again...
I not only missed an opportunity to share Christ and pray with someone, but I missed an opportunity to express my love to Christ by obeying... Will I ever get a chance to make it up? Lord willing, but that was a God ordained time and I lost it...
The thing is OBEDIENCE is not just to express our love for Christ, but there is a promise with obedience... there is peace and joy for us...
I just think... What would have happened if Moses decided not to obey.... I'm sure God would have had someone else do it, but just think... what Moses could have missed out on if he didn't obey... A's really into the movie "Prince of Egypt" lately, so we've watched it like 10 times in the past weeks... So that's why this example is forthcoming. The Israelites and Moses would have missed out at seeing God's hand at work in Egypt, at the Red Sea and all their time in the desert.
So going back to speaking God's love language... Are we as His people who love Him, speaking His love language enough?
UPDATE:
1. I went to the dentist and I'm really praying that the work she did the other day will last at least til I get to the states. I just seems to complex and I just don't want to deal with it now here...
2. I'm currently putting pictures up on facebook, so please check that out...
