In previous posts about the “Five Love Languages” by Gary Chapman, I have mentioned two languages, which are Words of Affirmation and Quality Time. The third love language is Receiving Gifts. If this is your love language, it just means that you feel loved when you receive gifts. There are people who have this as their primary love language. But for others, this is their secondary love language – as in my wife’s case. My wife’s primary language is Quality Time. But she also likes receiving gifts, especially on special occasions. What I have always done was always surprise her with a gift.
Now, gifts don’t necessarily have to be purchased always. Gifts can be found or even made. My wife doesn’t like flowers on special occasions. I remember coming home one day with a bouquet of roses only to find out that my wife doesn’t appreciate them. She honestly preferred perfumes over flowers. Chocolates even. Since then, I have always given her perfumes or chocolates. But the most memorable gift she received from me, she said, was a gift I made – a small jewelry box that I designed with pictures and a small love letter inside. My son also loves toys, especially new ones. He wouldn’t get tired of new toys. But I remember, while eating at a restaurant in Makati, I made him a big and a small paper airplane out of the restaurant’s paper place mat. Boy, did he enjoy it.
In my experience, giving and receiving gifts, of ourselves and our time adds love to our home. I think when a well thought out gift is given, it would never fail to communicate love. If you know someone in your home whose love language is receiving gifts and you’re the type of person who is not much of a giver, then it’s important to learn that love language. God the Father is our perfect example. John 3:16 says that “God so loved the world that He GAVE…” We should follow His example then. As the saying goes, “You can give without loving, but you can’t love without giving.”
