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The “Other” Love Language Book

April 13, 2018 by Lauren 12 Comments

 

Confession:  When I was presented with the chance to participate in a launch team for an updated version of The Language of Love and receive an advance reader copy of the book, I was SO EXCITED because…I thought it was The Five Love Languages by Dr. Gary Chapman.  My husband Chuck’s first wife – for crying out loud –  gifted us a copy of the later for a wedding gift and it really helped us understand each other in the early stages of our marriage.  But alas, this is not that book, and I couldn’t be happier about my error.  Had I not read of this opportunity with what was obviously only a millimeter of my attention, I might not have read this incredible book.  And it is incredible.

 

The Language of Love by Gary SMALLEY (See my mistake there?  Yeah, ok.  Maybe it’s just me.) and John Trent teaches the valuable concept of using word pictures in communication to be “instantly understood”.  According to the authors, “Studies show that when we hear a word picture, our brains work faster and expend much more energy than while reading or listening to conventional words.”  So what is a word picture?  From the book:  “An emotional word picture is a communication tool that uses a story or object to activate simultaneously the emotions and intellect of a person.  In so doing, it causes the hearer to experience our words, not just hear them.”  A simple example from the book is comparing anger to starting a fire inside your house.  “It should be rarely indulged.  And if it ignites, it should be extinguished.  And soon.  Or it can consume you and the whole house.”  When using an example such as this, one can clearly communicate to another the danger of letting one’s anger get out of control.  The word picture can pack a much bigger emotional  and cerebral punch than the more straightforward, “It hurts my feelings when you get angry.”

 

Feelings are so abstract and can often mean different things to different people.  They can even change meanings according to situations.  The word “love” can mean “enjoy” – as in, I “love” ice cream.  Or it can mean deep emotional commitment as it pertains to familial or romantic relationships.  I know personally understanding my own feelings at times poses enough of a challenge without trying to explain them to someone else.  That’s where word pictures come to the rescue.  With the ability to associate an abstract emotion to a more concrete thing or situation, we can make more sense of it for ourselves – and often others. For example, the poem “Welcome to Holland” is a well-known word picture in the community of special needs parents.  The author Emily Perl Kingsley likened the experience of this type of parenting to planning for a trip to Italy, where all your friends are going, but instead getting off the plane in Holland.  It’s not awful.  In fact, it’s beautiful, but not what you expected.  And none of your friends are there.  And furthermore, to enjoy it you have to let the dream of Italy die.  I love the poem because it explains better than I ever could how the journey with my daughter is both painful and beautiful.

 

The authors of this book also point to the Bible as a source of significant word pictures.  The writers used parables and other such illustrations to help us better understand God’s great affection for us.  Our finite minds could never even begin to comprehend His infinite, limitless, unconditional love without the stories that Jesus and others teach us through scripture.  “From evangelism to discipleship, from encouragement to correction, word pictures help us strengthen our own spiritual lives.  And perhaps as an added benefit, they can help us pass that life on to others.”

 

Whether you seek better interactions with friends, co-workers, children or your spouse, The Language of Love offers practical help.  And as a bonus, I found the word picture practice to be super helpful for my creative writing!  The update of this book comes out on April 17, but you can pre-order it today here! (This is an affiliate link, so if you order this book, or anything else after clicking on it, I get a few cents to help off-set my website hosting costs.  Thanks!)

 

 

 

 

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Filed Under: book review, Christian, parenting Tagged With: communication, self-help

Comments

  1. Mandy Farmer says

    April 14, 2018 at 3:49 pm

    This is definitely a must read book. Excited to see an update coming out.

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      April 14, 2018 at 6:53 pm

      Yes!

      Reply
  2. Vicki Johnson says

    April 14, 2018 at 10:02 pm

    Hi, Lauren! I can understand your mistake……. I’ve made similar one’s myself.
    I love the idea of word pictures. They’re wonderful as long as you get the right correlations matched up. Thanks for the heads up about this book.
    Blessings on your weekend!

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      April 15, 2018 at 12:31 am

      Thanks Vicki!

      Reply
  3. Jennifer says

    April 17, 2018 at 12:20 am

    Thank you for that review, I use word pictures in my blog but in allegorical form & as I am a Prof. Clinical Counselor, word pictures are a part of helping people understand their own situation in therapy…

    You’re most welcome to drop by for a cup of inspiration anytime!
    Jennifer

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      April 17, 2018 at 3:03 am

      That is really interesting Jennifer. Thank you.

      Reply
  4. Candace Playforth says

    April 17, 2018 at 2:09 am

    This looks like a great book, Lauren. I’ll have to put it on my to-read list. Thanks for the recommendation!

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      April 17, 2018 at 3:04 am

      Yes! Thanks Candace. If you are anything like me, that to-read list is a mile long!

      Reply
  5. Bette Stevens says

    April 27, 2018 at 12:18 am

    Adding to my TBR!

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      April 27, 2018 at 2:45 am

      I think u will be glad!

      Reply
  6. Tina at Mommynificent says

    May 2, 2018 at 1:56 am

    This looks really, really good! I’ve never heard of it before but it sounds life-changing! Thanks for sharing at Booknificent Thursday on Mommynificent.com!
    Tina

    Reply
    • Lauren says

      May 2, 2018 at 3:17 am

      Thanks for commenting. And hosting!

      Reply

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I love Jesus, my husband and caffeine. The order of these can change depending on how tired I am. When my two daughters, stepson, and 4 grandchildren get to be too much, I practice yoga. God graciously allows me to share our adventures, victories and flub-ups from my laptop. May He be glorified here.
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