Do you enjoy doing things for other people? Serving others with your God-given gifts & talents? Do you appreciate it when someone does an act of service for you? Opening a door? Offering to do the dishes, cook a meal, take care of a task at work? Do these things really make you feel loved or do you feel like you’re showing others love in a deep, special way? Then your main love language may be Works, Deeds or Acts of Service.
We all show and receive love in different ways. Gary Chapman identified the 5 main love languages most people have in his book 5 Love Languages. This month, I’m taking a deeper dive into each language and exploring ways you can fill yourself up with love (with God) that are meaningful and fulfilling to you. It will also help you strengthen a relationship with God as well as with others as you learn to speak their language. This article focuses on Acts of Service.
Random Acts of Kindness
Back in March of 2020, Random Acts of Kindness were being shown all around. Painted rocks with positive affirmations left in public spaces & people’s doorsteps. People offering to deliver groceries or pick up other items from various stores. Sidewalk chalk art & messages, cards & love notes left on doorsteps and even caroling around town to name a few.
All to share the love, cheer people up, maintain a connection with others and show how much we all matter to each other. Many women show love through Acts of Service by volunteering to do things for others. My mom loves to work with fabric.
Acts of Love From Others
Over the years, Mom’s love has been stitched into Little House on the Prairie dressed & bonnets for her granddaughters, Busy Books for my children & grandchildren, clothes, tiny little Barbie doll & baby doll clothes and probably most notably quilts. She cleaned, cooked, washed our clothes, painted my room, worked 3rd shift so she could be available for us, and so much more throughout my almost 49 years. She also appreciates it when others do things for her, like last spring when I helped clean out their basement & redo some landscaping.
My Favorite Handyman (aka my husband) also shows his love through acts of service. All the projects he’s done on our 140 year old home, changing the oil in my car, raising & butchering our own meat because so much of the additives in purchased meat don’t agree with me, cleaning up the kitchen after supper, folding laundry & dusting to name a few acts of service.
Last weekend, he cut, fit & installed jambs for some of the windows we installed last fall. I was working on my newsletter & came downstairs to find a mess. Little shavings all over the kitchen, dining room & bathroom floor. Needless to say, I was not happy as I’m the one who usually does the floor work. A great workout, but I didn’t need one more thing added to my to-do list.
I immediately turned my thoughts toward gratitude for what he did do and how hard he worked that day. I was formulating what I could respectfully say about the mess. Before I could even think of a full sentence, he came in the house, acknowledged the mess and then reassured me he would vacuum it all up.
He spent over 30 minutes getting the nooks & crannies, making sure there were no more shavings. What a gift! A beautiful sign of his love for me. And I thanked him for it! Letting him know I appreciated not only cleaning up the mess, but everything he does for me, our home & our family.
What Does Jesus Do
Jesus also demonstrates love through acts of service. Every miracle he performed. Every healing. Resurrecting Lazarus, changing the water into wine, feeding thousands of people with only a few loaves of bread and fewer fish, showering us with peace, love & joy.
He shows us God’s true nature, love. Shows us the way to God. Provided guidance & education on how to connect with God, to be with him.
He suffered and died for us. Took our sins (even those of us living 2000 years later) upon himself, so we could have eternal life. And he’s still working and doing things for us today, together with God the Father and the Holy Spirit.
You can show your love for God with acts of service by volunteering, helping out with the worship service, worshiping in and of itself, taking care of yourself and the Temple God blessed you with as you pray often, eat well & move more.
Showing Yourself Love with Acts of Service
If Acts of Service is your main love language, what can you do show yourself love? Here’s a few ideas:
- Do something kind for yourself
- Practice any form of self-care
- Buy, cook and or eat foods that nourish you & you enjoy
- Move your body
- Journal
- Do something you enjoy (hobby, visit a museum, go for a walk, visit someone, etc)
- Make something for yourself (craft or card, organize photo album)
- Declutter & organize a space in your home (even 1 drawer can make a difference)
- Take a bath or a nap
- Read a devotional or other scripture
- Make yourself a hot cup of tea & just sip on it
- Acknowledge & appreciate all the things you do do to take care of yourself, to show yourself love
- Appreciate all the things others do for you
- Praise the Lord
- Appreciate all God does for you
What else can you think of? Let me know in the comments! Your comment may be the exact thing that sparks an A-ha! in someone else, so don’t be afraid to share.
Ash Wednesday is Coming Up on March 2nd!
If you’re looking to do something meaningful this lent that only takes 15 minutes a day? Something that will allow you to walk with Jesus, renew & cultivate fertile ground in the garden of your heart for new life in Christ? Check out my Free Lenten Journey with Jesus. It has weekly themes with journaling prompts and limited availability to different scripture-based guided meditations to guide you throughout this season of renewal.
The Complete Journey has all this plus 11 more guided meditations as well as unlimited lifetime access to the entire program and downloadable versions of the meditations. As an added bonus, the Complete Lenten Journey with Jesus is also over 20% off through March 6th, 2022!
If you’re a past participant of these programs, there’s no need to sign up again, unless you want to upgrade or you have unsubscribed from my mailings.
