Daily Gospel Reflection for March 14, 2024

Join us as we reflect, ponder, and pray together inspired by today's Gospel.

Today's Gospel: John 5:31-47

Gary Chapman’s book The Five Love Languages explains that each of us gives and receives love in one of five ways: words of affirmation, acts of service, receiving gifts, quality time, or physical touch. Without even taking the quick online quiz to determine my love language, I knew it was “words of affirmation.”

Words of affirmation transform my outlook. They make me feel valued and they inspire me to do more. The flip side of that is I can be grumpy and demotivated when there's a lack of affirmation - highlighting the fact that I’m too dependent on others to feed my soul. People are fickle and their praise is fleeting.

There is only One I should be turning to for praise – God Himself. His love isn’t fickle, nor is it fleeting. It’s constant and unconditional. He knows my heart and sees my efforts far more clearly than any human ever could. Even when I fail, He’s pleased that I’ve tried.

Additionally, when it comes to giving words of affirmation, I need Him to be the One I give them to. It’s not that God ever needs my praise. It’s more the fact that when I offer it to Him, it properly roots my heart in gratitude, making me thankful for all He’s done for me.

We don’t have to take any online quiz for God to learn how we receive love. He knows each of us individually and intimately and tailors His expressions of love to perfectly suit us. When we realize this and open the eyes of our heart, we see those expressions of love everywhere.

Ponder:

What is my love language? Do I put too much emphasis on receiving that from man and not from God?

Pray:

Loving God, help me to open the eyes of my heart so I see the messages of love You send me all the time, conveyed in the language that’s perfectly suited to me.