People actually are a few of my favorite things. Specifically my people that I have the privilege of really living life with. Do you have those people? The ones that you can call for anything. The ones that know who you really are and still love you. The ones you don't need a filter or mask to spend time with. The ones who when you're at their house you can rummage through the fridge without even asking. Those people are some of my favorite things.
The things we really value in life are the things we really take care of. So how do we take care of our most meaningful friendships. How do we make sure we are loving those people well. Here are a few ways that I try to make sure I'm loving those people in my life well:
1. Invest Time - It's hard to say we love someone when we never make time in our lives for them. Truly in life we find space for the things we really value and prioritize. So whether it be a coffee date, dinner, a walk, or even grocery shopping - we must be intentional about spending time in one another's lives.
2. Ask Questions - It's so easy to see a friend and just ramble and off-load about our lives and what we are going through. This means it's also easy to spend time together and never even ask how the other person is doing or what's going on in their heart and lives. If we want to love people well then we need to ask questions to really know who they are and where they're at. And in deep friendships we shouldn't be afraid to ask the hard questions.
3. Pay Attention - When we value people we pay attention to the things they pay attention to. Birthdays, anniversaries, milestones in their kid's lives, big family events, major doctor appointments, etc. It says a lot when you remember (or make a reminder if you need to) that your friend had her first ultrasound this morning or that maybe this week marks a year since she lost her mom. When we pay attention and take the time to remember it says a lot.
4. Know Their Love Language - If you've never read the book, The 5 Love Languages, I highly recommend it. By understanding how you most receive love and give love it can help us in our loving others. Also knowing how our friends receive and give love is huge. My primary love language is quality time. I believe gifts may be my lowest. If we were friends and I keep trying to hang out with you but you just keep buying me things - we're both going to be frustrated. I'm going to think you don't love me as much and it's going to be hard for you to understand why I don't feel loved. If we know these things then we're able to be more intentional in the way we love one another.
Let's make sure we are intentionally loving our favorite things well!
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