All You Need is Love

Love is the most powerful force in the universe (1 Cor.
13:13).  That’s not surprising, since God is love (1 Jn. 4:8)!
Scripture tells us that love is a covering for sins (1 Pe. 4:8), it is
the fuel that energizes our faith (Gal. 5:6), it is proof that we
belong to the Father (Mt.5:43-46; Jn. 8:42), is Jesus’ principal
command to us (Jn. 15:17), and while all else fades away, love remains
and cannot be overcome or fail (1 Cor. 13:8)!

We celebrate love on Valentines Day.  While that is
traditionally a day for sweethearts – as Christians, love is to be the
distinguishing characteristic of our lives.  Love has also been shown,
scientifically, to have far-reaching health benefits.  I’ve mentioned
before how feeling the emotions of love, care, gratitude and
appreciation can positively affect your autonomic nervous system,
enabling your body to replenish and repair itself.

According to research, the hormone, oxytocin, which is released during
childbirth, and is known to stimulate bonding between a mother and
infant, also reduces cell death in the heart and reduces inflammation,
which is the primary cause of degenerative disease, and which can also
slow healing.  Oxytocin is released by your pituitary gland and
enables your body to decrease stress hormones and lower your blood
pressure.  It’s even been found to reduce cravings for sweets, drugs
and alcohol.  Both men and women release this hormone and besides
labor, the primary way to release it is through skin-to-skin contact
with another person.

Here are some suggestions for how reap the benefits in your physical body as well as in your relationships:

1.      Begin cultivating and strengthening warm, loving, intimate
relationships.  There is nothing more important than strengthening
your closest relationships with family and friends.  Every positive
interaction you enjoy with a loved one (nurturing others,
participating in your church family, Bible study, exercise class, support or other group, even simply sharing a meal) will increase your levels of
oxytocin.
2.      If you are married, be sure to nurture your spouse and your
relationship together.  It’s been found that couples tend to live
longer, healthier lives than singles, perhaps for this very reason.
(If you are single, this does NOT mean you will not live a long,
healthy life – just be sure to cultivate loving relationships.
Obviously the quality of the relationship has much to do with the
benefits.  A stressful, strife-filled marriage will not benefit your
health.)
3.      Physical touch, such as holding hands, kissing, hugging and
massage, anywhere on your body, will also stimulate release of
oxytocin.
4.      Breathing exercises and any physical exercise that combines
mind and body, such as yoga, qi gong or tai chi, will also stimulate
its release.
5.      Physical touch includes petting and playing with your dog or
cat!  Spending a few minutes with your pet has been shown to lower
blood pressure.  It’s no wonder pet owners seem to be able to deal
more effectively with stress and even heal more quickly from illness.
The bottom line is that we are created for relationship.  However, in
order to love others, we must have a healthy love for ourselves.  I believe it
all begins with realizing and accepting God’s love for us.  We can
then love God with all our being.  From that point, we can then extend
that love to others, which creates truly healthy relationships as well
as physical and psychological health.