Sunday, April 19, 2009

FILL UP YOUR TANK WITH LOVE!

Our small group in church is studying the book THE FIVE LOVE LANGUAGES, How to express heartfelt commitment to your mate, By, Gary Chapman. Today, we were talking about Chapter 2~Keeping the Love Tank Full. "Psychologists have concluded that the need to feel loved is a primary human emotional need. For love, we will climb mountains, cross seas, traverse deserts, and endure untold hardships. Without love, mountains become unclimbable, seas uncrossable, deserts unberable, and hardships our plight in life."
While this author's main emphasis is on the husband and wife relationship, I would like for us to take a look at self-love for the 50 something woman.
Yes, everyone needs love, that is clear, but we also need to extend love to ourselves, giving ourselves mercy and grace as we journey through this life. Again, we expend a lot of time and energy caring for and loving the people in our homes and we must not forget to love ourselves...treat ourselves with kindness. That means we cannot allow ourselves to be in the habit of repetitive self criticism, working ourselves to exhaustion, living an unbalanced life with no time for rest, relaxation, restoration and recreation.
How is your love tank looking? Are you running on empty? Let's not wait for others to fill it up, let's fill it up ourselves! Give yourself an "atta girl!" today.