One of my favorite and very informative studies is the one on "The Five Love Languages" by Gary Chapman. It is his contention, and I have come to believe, that we all "speak" a certain discernable love language. He defines these as quality time, words of affirmation, gifts, acts of service, and physical touch. Since his first book, he has since published ones addressing the subjects of languages of children, of singles, and of God. I highly recommend this study to anyone who has relationships with anyone... so basically, everyone!
I am currently sharing this study with a group of young adults in my Sunday School class. Rather than have each classmember use the book, I have created a summary that includes scriptural reference and explains ways in which each language is spoken and identified. I am placing the information on "words of affirmation" on this blog today, and the others will be embedded in other blogs. See the summary to the right of the blog to see which languages appear in each of the daily blogs. Enjoy! M
#1 ~ Words of Affirmation
Words that build up & make you feel appreciated.
God's word shows us how His love language incorporates Words of Affirmation:
Ps 119:103 "How sweet are thy words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!"
Ps 119:103 "How sweet are thy words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!"
Proverbs 16:24 "Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body."
Matthew 25:21 "His master said to him, `Well done, good and faithful servant;
you have been faithful over a little."
Luke 3:22 "and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form, as a dove,
and a voice came from heaven, 'Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased.' "
Proverbs 12: 25 "an anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up"
The following are ways that we can give words of affirmation:
* through verbal compliments
ie: you look good in that color; this is excellent work;
you would do well in that position;
I appreciate your doing this for me
* through encouraging words
Others may need encouragement for something they want to do. This requires empathy on our part.
We need to see the world from their perspective. What we want to communicate is that
"I know, I care, I am with you". We want to show that we believe in them.
*speak words with genuine tone do not use sarcasm or insulting words do not harbor resentment or lack of forgiveness
*speak words that are humble refrain from being domineering, demanding, or suffocating
*speak words indirectly ~ praise the person to a third party in and out of their presence
*write words of affirmation on notes and in letters
WORDS ARE IMPORTANT!
