LOVE STATEMENTS

There are some significant messages that come in “three word” packages. These love statements contain the power to develop new friendships, deepen old ones, and restore broken ones. You can use these “three-word phrases” to enrich your relationships with a spouse, parent, child, or coworker:

“I’ll be there.”
  • When you are stranded and call a friend or family member, it is wonderful to hear, “I’ll be there.”
  • If a late night illness means taking a child to a hospital emergency room and you call on a friend to come and sit with other children, how wonderful to hear that friend respond, “I’ll be there.”
  • When there is a death in the family and you phone an old friend, the blow of grief is softened by the words, “I’ll be there.”
“I miss you.”
  • Paul expressed to Timothy, “Remembering your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy.” 2 Tim 1:4
  • It is a powerful affirmation that expresses, “you are needed, you are wanted, you are loved.”
“I appreciate you.”
  • “I thank God ... when I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day.” 2 Tim 1:3
  • Paul regularly expressed appreciation for those he served with.
“Maybe you’re right.”
  • “One who hardens his heart falls into trouble.” Proverbs 28:14
  • This phrase is effective in defusing arguments and restoring frayed emotions.

“Please forgive me.”
  • We all fail. God can heal broken relationships when we ask for forgiveness.
  • Alexander Pope, said, “A man should never be ashamed to own he has been in the wrong, which is but saying, in other words, that he is wiser today than he was yesterday.”
“I thank you.”
  • “Give thanks in everything, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thess 5:18 Gratitude is a wonderful form of courtesy.
  • People who enjoy the companionship of good, close friends are quick to thank their friends for their many expressions of kindness.
“Count on me.”
  • “Loyalty and faithfulness deliver a king; through loyalty he maintains his throne.” Prov 20:28
  • Loyalty is an essential ingredient for true friendship. It is the emotional glue that bonds people together.

These love statements can reduce and erase conflict and tension between friends. They will result in closer, warmer, and more intimate relationships. Give them a try.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The 80-20 Rule

In 1906, Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto created a mathematical formula to describe the unequal distribution of wealth in his country, observing that twenty percent of the people owned eighty percent of the wealth. The Pareto Principle, or 80/20 rule, states that 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.   Although this rule was first applied in Italy when Pareto was looking at the dispersal of wealth, it has since become a rule of thumb for many businesses.   It has been said that 20% of your workforce does 80% of the work, or 80% of your sales come from 20% of your clients.   I think this law comes into play in our lives as well.   Life is 20% what happens to you and 80% what you make of it. There are tons of stories about people who come out of difficult situations — gang life, in and out of jail, drug addiction, broken families, abuse – yet still seem to rise to the top.   And of course, there are many stories of those who have been given everything they would n
Read more

FREEDOM’S PRICE

In 1781, the Fourth of July was named a national holiday and today fireworks, parades and picnics still mark this celebration. Because on July 4, 1776 The Declaration of Independence proclaimed the thirteen colonies free from British rule. What proceeded and followed this declaration were the historic battles still taught in every elementary school. For six years the colonies shook with the Battles of Concord and Lexington, Bunker Hill and Saratoga. The war finally ended at Valley Forge where British General Cornwallis surrendered to what would be the United States’ first president, George Washington. Two years later the British and the Americans signed a peace treaty in France. Freedom does not come without a price. Through the Revolutionary War our nation’s freedom was paid for by the blood and sacrifice of the men and women who fought for their dream of what would become the United States. The battles were not easy, and the years took their toll on our young nation. In t
Read more

Mask Off

Have you ever noticed how many of the superheroes put on masks when it’s time to do their “superhero jobs”? Batman and Robin, Spiderman, the Green Lantern, Captain America and Wonder Dog all wear the mask to fight against evil. There they are, with their colored masks hiding their true identity. My personal favorite is Superman. When he’s fighting back evil, it is full disclosure time. He is being who he truly is, when he takes OFF his mask — those oversized black-framed glasses. When he’s doing what he was made to do, doing it fully revealed, he’s more himself than at any other time. In today’s world, there is a crying-out by the public at large for genuineness. We’ve been disappointed over and over by those who, after it’s too late, aren’t who they said they were. If we’re honest, maybe it’s true in our own relationships with other believers. If we’re even more honest, maybe we’ve been the cause of someone else’s disappointment. And perhaps that disappointment was
Read more