How to Love Others by Dr. Lynnette Simm
It’s been a crazy week. My beloved niece and nephew can to visit from Green Bay, Wisconsin. They had asked me not to take my Christmas decor down. They wanted to enjoy it. So, here it was, January 16th and I still had Christmas everywhere in my house.
Well, those beautiful kids came to see all the decor and lights and then, with the whole family helping, we took it all down together in two days! What took me weeks to get up was boxed and in the attic in TWO!
Now that’s how to love someone. “Acts of Service” AND “Quality Time” are just two of five types of love language, according to Gary Chapman. The others are “Words of Affirmation,” “Physical Touch,” and “Receiving Gifts.”
By the end of the two days, there were hugs all around (physical touch…we are up to three). The next evening at dinner, my beloved niece and nephew gave us beautiful framed pictures from their wedding (gifts…up to four now!) and we gushed over the magic wedding we all remembered (words of affirmation…FIVE!).
Loving one another can be as easy as giving a compliment or a hug. It could be picking up something that someone dropped. It’s all these little things that can make a life filled with love.
In the Bible, Ephesians 4:2 says, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” 1 Peter 4:8: “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” John 15:12: “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”
We are called to love! How you love is up to you.