How Loving Are You?

Can love be measured? Ted Haggard thinks so. In his book Foolish No More he asks, "On a scale of 1-10, how loving have you been towards the following people in your life?"

• spouse
• parents
• extended family
• close friends
• school or work associates
• neighbors
• children
• fellow Christ followers
• pastor

You can measure your 'loving quotient', and then you can think about how to improve it. More importantly than that, you can pray about how to increase it by being a conduit of God's grace for others.

Can you imagine what raising the level of love in your home, at church, or at work could mean?

Perhaps it could save a mariage and avoid the ugly scars of divorce.

Perhaps a son or daughter would grow up knowing that they have the blessing of their parents, and wouldn't need to seek it in other forms.

Perhaps someone who would never darken the doors of a church would begin to wonder about God's love because of you.

The person you'd find yourself becoming would undoubtedly be more peaceful and happy, which may be a mini-miracle for you. Kind of like rocks becoming seeds. And these seeds that may start out very small can grow mighty Redwoods. And the shade of those Redwoods nurtures other life.

Take the same list above and measure from 1-10 on how hard or easy it is for you to say "I love you" to them and really mean it. What is God saying to you through these exercises?

1 Thessalonians 3:12

And may the Lord make your love grow and overflow to each other and to everyone else, just as our love overflows toward you.