1. Love and Spirituality By Christine Behlmann East

2. Love Through the Eyes of Religion Most foundations of religion are based on the love of self, others, and God Himself (or gods for that matter) (“Spirituality and Relationships Love”) – Whether it’s Buddha telling his people to not harm one another or Jesus Christ preaching to love one another as your neighbor. According to “1 Corinthians 13:4-8 ‘Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails‘(NIV)” (“The Different Kinds of Love…”). – Therefore, love is something that should be stable, trustworthy, and safe. Also, it should feel as if that person is your best friend, your home, your warmth. Love is not something to fool around with. It should be taken seriously and treated like a gift- not a right.

3. Love and Spirituality Intertwined “You can feel them spiritually close to you, and even when there is negativity and distance, you will feel this emotion” (“Spiritual Love Connections”) – According to this article, when we meet our soulmate, not only do we connect to him/her on a mental and physical level, but also on a spiritual level. By this happening, the two become “inseparable” when it comes to emotions and what the other is thinking. “Marianne Williamson refers to as 'enchanted love' by believing that you are already whole and that this spirituality and relationship with another will help you to continue to be a better person and to feel closer to God.” (“Spirituality and Relationships Love”). – This is a very good definition given by Williamson to describe how spirituality and love can be used to its best. By already feeling whole and satisfied with life and myself, the spirituality connection created by a relationship with someone I love can only increase that spirituality within myself. Therefore, by finding peace within myself first, I can find the spirituality of another to only help me further my journey, only with a soulmate this time.

4. How I see Love and Spirituality’s Connection According to all of my sites, one cannot find love, until they have found their “soulmate”. According to “Spiritual Love Connections”, to find our soulmates, our spirituality must be in the right place. Therefore meaning, we cannot find love in someone else until we love ourselves have achieved the spiritual level we need to be at when finding our soulmate. Love is very delicate and sensitive and needs to be handled in a careful manner. With love, one can accomplish anything and be anything he/she wants to be. However, without love, the world can be a very lonely place and we may end up never fully feeling fulfilled. Fortunately, should we be secure in our spirituality, than when it comes to finding the “one”, the search will come to be a little easier and the decision will be clear. Basically, make sure you pay attention to your feelings and know that you should come first before focusing on finding our partner. Once we have gotten ourselves in the right place, on the other hand, than the choices will become clear when it comes to finding the right one for each of us. So, if our spirituality is centered, we love ourselves, and our mind is clear of doubts, than the journey for love won’t be as painful as it is for those who are wandering through life with no direction.

5. How can Love and Spirituality Help? According to the article “Language of Love”, men and women have different preferences in different levels. For example, a man may prefer attractiveness over social skills, whereas a woman may prefer commitment over attractiveness. Even though men and women see things on a different level, each person’s spirituality can’t lie. Instead, it will only help the couple see if they were meant to be in the end. In other words, if one’s spirituality is pulling them toward a life of volunteering but the other partner’s spirituality is pulling them into a life in religion, then the couple can easily see they may not be right for each other. On the other hand, if the couple’s spirituality is pulling the two in the same direction, than the decision to be together will be much easier. Unfortunately, it’s not always this clean cut. Sometimes, the heart can interfere with what our spiritualities already know should happen. This can lead to major heartbreak and disappointment. However, should we listen closely to our spirituality and our callings in life, than we should be able to make these difficult decisions more preciously.

6. Love Language and its Benefits By using the love language, we can become more in tuned with our partners, their emotions, and their wants/needs. In doing so, the relationship can only improve and the couple will be very happy. Unfortunately, not all the love languages can intertwine. Sometimes, people prefer words over touch because they hate it when people touch them. However, if your partner is a very touchy person, then it could be difficult for the couple to continue their dating status. On the other hand, should that person like touching but can deal with gifts, than if the other person is a gift giver then all should work out in that department anyway. Just because the languages may not always match up doesn’t mean there aren’t ways around it and with dealing with it. However, it’s up to the couple to make the decision. Should they decide against it, than they are listening to their language as well as their spirituality to make that decision. Still, if they decide to stay together than they have found a balance between spiritualities and their love languages.

7. How my Love Language Connects to Me According to my test, I express and receive my love best through words of affirmation. While I do believe this is partially true, I actually believe I am more of a quality time kind of girl. To me, actions speak much louder than words half the time and it’s those small moments that can count more than hearing “I love you” a thousand times over. While I will admit I really do like hearing words of affirmation, as well as giving them, I much prefer spending time with the ones I love the most. By spending time with them, I feel like I am getting the chance to learn more about them and gain their trust. Nothing can beat actually having a face to face conversation instead of texting or a phone call. Quality time means a lot to me perhaps because that’s the way I was raised or maybe it’s because I just like spending time with people. Either way, words of affirmation are nice, but spending quality time with loved ones tops it all.

8. Works Cited "Love Language." BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2013.. "Love." (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). N.p., 9 July 2009. Web. 13 Feb. 2013.. “Spiritual Love Connections." Soulmate Connections. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Feb. 2013.. “Spirituality and Relationships Love." Spirituality and Relationships: All about Love. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2013.. "The Different Kinds of Love Mentioned in the Bible." United Church of God. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2013..