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This post was originally written to be the closing thoughts of the last post (Easter Baskets for the Elderly). But then I realized it was a very verbose ending in included a challenge to Be The Light. I decided it deserved to be a post all its own.
I have read that every blog post is supposed to end with a call to action – something 99.5% of my blog posts seem to lack. This one is different. Don’t click away, I think this call to action will have something for everyone: minimal financial investment, and it has the potential to make this dark world of ours a little brighter.
Be the Light
Love Languages
As I have been ticking off books for my 2022 Reading Scavenger Hunt, I have read Gary Chapman’s The Five Love Languages (a book originally published the year I was born).
The book asserts that love is shown (and felt) in five ways:
1) Words of Affirmation
2) Quality Time
3) Gifts
4) Acts of Service
5) Physical Touch
What if this Easter season we all picked one of the 5 love languages and made an effort to show love to someone? This season is all about God’s indescribable and unfathomable unending love for us, don’t we owe it to Him to reflect that love to others.
Here’s what I suggest:
Pick one of the following ideas to share love with another human being this month.
Words of Affirmation
-Tell everyone that does something for you “Thank You” (things as simple as holding the door for you, refilling your glass at a restaurant, etc.). This is just plain good manners, but it also shows them that you see them, and that you appreciate what they have done for you. Another version of this idea would be to compliment everyone you come into contact with for a whole day. Tell them their smile made your day, that you like their shirt/blouse…
-Write a note to someone who has touched your life. Tell them how they have affected your life and how much you value their impact.
Quality Time
-Volunteer somewhere (nursing home, soup kitchen, etc.) Spend time with people who are often overlooked.
-Become a Big Brother or Big Sister. Sadly, many young people don’t have the benefits of a stable home life and need a role model in their lives.
Gifts
-Make your own care packages or Easter baskets for people in your community (elderly neighbors, single parents, those financially touched by the current economic crisis).
-During your spring cleaning give away the things you no longer need/want. Give things that are in good condition to friends/family/neighbors or donate to your local Helping Hands/Goodwill/Salvation Army.
Acts of Service
-Mow your elderly or laid up neighbor’s lawn for them. Help a friend or family member start a garden. Cook dinner for someone who is sick or just having a tough time. Build or help a friend built a doghouse for their doggo – if you live in a place like Texas, it gets hot, and puppers need some shade.
Physical Touch
-Give away high fives like they are going out of style and you single handedly are working on their comeback.
-Give a hug when needed (and appropriate – how sad is it that, for legal reasons, I feel the need to add that detail). Is your friend or coworker having a terrible, awful, no good, very bad day that would rival Alexander’s? Ask if they need a hug. Or a pat on the back.
I challenge you to try at least one of these and give it a try this month. Perhaps together we can bring light to others – at the very least, light up their faces.
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:
Romans 5:8
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
If you are interested in learning more about the five love languages, you will enjoy the books below:
