Saturday, June 30, 2007

Speaking your Love Language with God

Today’s Invitation

Today I send an invitation to you
For I want to say I love you
In the special language I speak
As an expression of the love within me;
Today I want you to come stay with me
In preparation for you, I keep the house clean
By scrubbing, dusting, with the tools you’ve given me
The armour of God is my PPE;
Today we shall dine together on savoury meals
So I set the table with the fruit you’ve given me
Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith
Meekness, temperance, so appealing are they displayed;
Today I want you to spend the night with me
With your sweet words we will build up our intimacy
And when you need to rest please do so within me
For in me you can find rest and peace;
Today I want to be with you
To tell you just how much I love you
To tell you I will never let go of you
For today begins forever with you.

The Inspiration
My good friend and I were to host a visitor for 3 nights. In preparation for his coming, I cleaned the house, purchased fresh food items and looked forward to his arrival. When he finally came in, I was so happy to see him that I took my time to prepare a meal for us all. While I was cooking and setting up the table, my good friend was chatting with him. Then I complained that she had left me to do everything alone. He replied that she was keeping him company and he was enjoying every moment of it.

As I walked back to the kitchen, I felt my act of love was not appreciated. I named myself “Martha” who was too busy worrying about kitchen things and forgetting to spend some time with our guest. The next day, I decided to be “Mary” and we all sat together chatting and laughing. By 11 p.m. that night, we were almost starved and then I had to get back to myself “Martha”.

For a long while the personality of “Martha” haunted me and I felt inadequate. Everything I seemed to hear commended “Mary” and looked down on “Martha”. Until I read the book “Women in the Bible – Examples to Live By” (By Sylvia Charles). Sylvia talked about the relevance of Martha and Mary, and how Martha had demonstrated hospitality towards our Lord Jesus Christ. Come on, that place was like home to HIM. Then I began seeing something good in “Martha”.

I went further to read the book “The Five Love Languages of Children” (By Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell) and I began to understand something about Martha and Mary. They both requited the love of Jesus Christ but were speaking different love languages. Martha wanted to tell HIM she loved HIM with acts of service while Mary wanted to spend quality time with HIM and buy HIM gifts. They both loved HIM. They only said it differently.

While I do not want to remove your mind from the lessons we’ve always known from the story of Martha and Mary (that passionately desiring the Word is needful), I want to say that the way to tell HIM you love HIM is unique to you. You might want to say it with words, you might want to spend all you’ve got for HIS Ministry and all HE is, you might want to serve in the church, you might want to spend time in HIS presence maybe take a walk to a secluded place and communicate with HIM. There is no perfect way of demonstrating your love for HIM. Do it in your special way in faith and with obedience. HE simply commands, “Love the LORD your God, and to serve HIM with all your heart and with all your soul” [Deut 11:13].

Have a blessed day.

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