The 5 Love Languages

“What is your love language?”  

When I was first asked that question, I had a look of utter confusion.  Before that moment, I have never heard of a “love language”. I didn’t know that love had it’s own language.

First off…

What is a love language?

How do I know what my love language is?

How can a love language help me in my life?

My friend let me borrow his copy of The 5 Love Languages so I can see what all the hype was really about. Gary Chapman shares that there are 5 love languages that people can express. These love languages are: gifts, quality time, words of affirmation, acts of service, and physical touch. Your love language may be different in the way you receive or give love.

Now I am not a big reader, so when I decide to pick up a book it better grab my attention. I finished the book within 72 hours. It was so enlightening! I was so into this book and that I could not wait to take the quiz to see what love language reigns supreme in my life.  

Yet shortly after all the excitement of discovering my love language, I asked myself, “How can I apply this to my life?” At the time I was single and was nowhere close to even starting a romantic relationship. What was the point of reading this book?

I then began to evaluate my friends and paid close attention to their actions. My friends are unique in wonderful ways and each of them give and receive different love languages. I realized that this idea of a love language can be used to help build my friendships with those around me. It’s not just for romantic relationships; It’s also for maintaining and building the platonic relationships that currently surround me.  

Something I want to reiterate again is: your love language may be different in the way you receive or give love. You might feel loved more by receiving hugs over receiving gifts, but you may love giving gifts as an expression of love. Paying attention to this can help you understand your friends as well as yourself.

We have been fearfully and wonderfully made. God created us all in unique, remarkable ways, that make us the women we are today. I mean, how boring would it be if God gave us all the same love language? Life would be pretty bland. God is extremely creative, and He truly put time, effort, and love into each and every one of us.

My challenge to you this Valentine’s season, is to apply this idea of a love language to all the relationships in your life. See how your relationships with your family, friends, and loved ones grow by speaking their “language”. 

So what’s the first step? Grab a copy of The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Last. If you don’t want to read the book, take the quiz!