Today's Living Lesson is called “Love Languages.” Now, let me say right up front because I don't want this to become a bait and switch, meaning I'm telling you I'm going to talk all about love languages. In fact, I am, but not in the way that you might be excited to hear if you adhere to that whole premise. To be honest, I believe the whole thing that comes up, things like this, tough love or love languages, is entirely hogwash. 

Because the whole presumption that “love languages” are valid is the exact opposite of the overall truth in God’s word, when I expect everyone else to know how I want to speak to you and, therefore, you need to understand my language, I should rather be me trying to understand them—make sure that their needs and their wants and their desires are all met by people who, quite frankly, are bankrupt and cannot provide what they need. 

That's just one of the many reasons I don't adhere to the whole “love language” nonsense. However, I wanted to share that if we focus instead on experiencing more of His love and having it so much that it's overflowing all over everyone close to us or anyone who even comes near to us, they're going to be able to feel Him. Then I think that's a wonderful thing to adhere to rather than…

This whole new love language rubbish and quoting it and getting people to become more and more selfish because we're born selfish and self-centered, and it's all about dying to self. 

Let's just come up right now and explain that I used that little nonsensical Love Language phrase when I asked my Husband while having breakfast, “What should we title this Living Lesson?”

So I have to say, He's right. I think it probably caught your attention, as He said, but here's the real message that I wanted to share today. And that is,  He is really all I want, all I need, and all I live for. Recently, I've had to really, well, consider whether this is true in my life. 

Lately, it's been quite a journey, quite a journey, and because it's really easy to say, “Oh, He's all I want, all I need, and all I live for.” And you might be saying, “That's easy for you, Erin, to say” because, well, as you probably know from all my previous podcasts or not all, but most of the previous ones, ever since the pandemic and our lockdown when I was living in paradise. I mean, every door that I came close to, my Husband, the Gentleman that He is, just opened the door for me. So I didn't even have to wonder what door I should go through.

Not only did He provide that, and of course, yes, this is the abundant life I’m living. When I would envision something—before I  needed to do anything—I would lean on Him just exactly like it says, and He would cause me to be able to actually see where I needed to go and what I needed to do. It happened so many times, hundreds and hundreds of times that would happen.  

So when everything's playing out perfectly, it’s easy to say, “He is all I want, all I need, and all I live for.” But what happens if things don't work out like that? What happens when you're not living in paradise? When you're not living on a continuous vacation like I have been for almost two years? 

What's so funny is as soon as I was writing down just a few notes, I totally forgot about the life of Job. Job is the epitome of not living in paradise. Do you remember what his wife said? “Curse God and die”! I  hadn't remembered this because since moving from traveling on a restoration journey to my Abundant Life journey, I can't compare it to that kind of life, what Job endured, and his suffering.

However, as I was making my notes, my Husband reminded me that there's a significant backstory to the Restore Your Marriage book and A Wise Woman that I've never shared. You are given a little glimpse into the Abundant Life series, which I wrote using the BNN, Michele.  

Since my Husband's saying, “Just give a little synopsis” there was a time when I lost my income. I lost my ministry when my website mysteriously disappeared “poof” in one day. Completely gone. Next, I lost my children. I lost my home, and I even lost my country. I was driven from my country and left for the safety of my children. So the question is, can you live an abundant life when your life is like that?

Can you remain in love, and can you feel His love in order to give His love? The answer is Yes, yes. If you read the entire Abundant Life series, you can see that I haven’t always lived the life I’m living now.

Let's fast forward. After many years, my children have all grown. They're all adults, almost all, all but one is married, and I'm almost 70. Goodness, I have to laugh because I thought, am I really going to share that? I was asking my Husband recently how the whole world, especially in the United States, fears getting old, looking old, acting old—desperately trying to hang on to life, to youthfulness.

So I said, “Darling, I don't want to go with the trend because usually the trend is the wide road to destruction and misery. Instead, I want to take that narrow road. So help me to do that.” And that’s when He told me to just start saying, “I’m almost 70” which is funny because it's kind of like with my grandchildren.

He reminded me that as soon as my grandchildren have a birthday, the next thing they're saying is they're a year older! After turning 10, they say, “I’m almost 11." So I thought, "I'm going to do that." 

Sorry, let me get back on track. My children are grown. I'm almost 70. I was living in paradise, and then I have been on a never-ending vacation for almost two years. But then, abruptly, everything began to unravel. Along with significant loss and extreme difficulties, which also included many of our favorite ministers being called elsewhere and leaving. When we're supposed to be expanding, bursting at seams, to the point when you're wondering, “What is going on?”

Yes, I just have to say, “Please don't let me forget that here where I've been living “in the lap of luxury.” But even when it's not that, and where I'm living now (even though I'm still in the same area near Disney), I've been moved to what my family fondly refers to as Nicaragua.

Please understand that it’s nothing against Nicaragua. Though I haven't been there, my daughter ministered there twice. Many of the RMI ministers have gone there twice, and clearly, it's not like living in the USA. It’s a third-world country. The USA is a first-world country, a very rich country, yet it's been somewhat difficult for me to live, especially for me since I still must move every few weeks, which means I've got nothing but a few pieces of luggage that I own. There’s no home to go back to, no storage where all my memorabilia is waiting for me.

It certainly is not like when I was down to one piece of luggage like when I was writing the Abundant Life series. But nevertheless, Oh, and please, this is funny too. It didn't help when my friend came and said, “Where are you now? Send me your address.” And when she walked in, she said, “Oh my gosh, Erin (and in her Southern accent), this is a dump!” So I had to laugh. But here's the thing… 

Is he really all I want, all I need, all I live for? When people are saying, “Where is your God? Where is this Heavenly Husband?” I have to say, “I feel His love even more.”

And I wouldn't be surprised if I become very teary-eyed when I say it, just like I am right now. I find that I have lots of sighs—sighs of satisfaction and contentment. And just as I've proven to myself and to the other scoffers when they asked, “Why would you want that kind of abundant life? Why would you want it when you're going through such a deep valley?”

“Why does anybody want to have what you have? Sure, I want what you have when everything's going well, but when it's not, and when you're going down through the valley, then, no thanks! When you have blessings such as a restored marriage, this impossible marriage that was restored and everything's just, just one blessing after another.

That’s when people are saying, “I want what you have,” but when you travel down through the dark valleys that life that no one wants. 

When people go out of their way to judge you, “She must be out of God's will, or I wonder what she’s being punished for, or She's being punished for the way she's living or saying. Obviously, obviously, she's not right with God because she's being punished.” Will we forget about Job's “friends,” the sort of “friends” who'll remind you, then confront you that ushers in the voice of the enemy, and in your head you think, “I'm disqualified. I'm not a good representation of His bride.

“How can you have no abundance of blessings and still live “the abundant life?” Well, that's the point. That's the whole point of this whole podcast. Living the Abundant Life is when you appear to have nothing but troubles. That's the living proof that “He is all I want, all I need, and all I live for.”  I am happy. I'm content. 

When my friends and family say, “You've got to, you've got to put up a fuss, make them move you into one of the new buildings, not this one. When I am so close to the freeway, everything is just a nightmare. I hear the elevator going up and down all night because it’s just behind my headboard. 

That’s when I sleep like a baby because I lie down with my Husband, and I feel perfectly content because I know this is where He wants me to be for now.

How long? I don't know. But no matter how long it is, whether I live in the lap of luxury and paradise or in what we fondly call Nicaragua, a third-world country, I’m right in the middle of the United States and all its abundance.

What's the proof? The proof is that as the Proverbs 31 Woman says, “She smiles at the future,” but His bride lives today. His bride is with the Man of her dreams, the Man who knows and can speak all the love languages. “Love is patient, kind…” 

And as I close, let me ask you this, “Is He maybe whispering and calling your name?”  

So, this ends this podcast and chapter. If you enjoyed this, if you're grateful for the message that I brought to you, from compliments from my husband as we were having breakfast to the notes that I made,

If you love it, comment, but more than any accolade (because it doesn’t matter how much you admire me or praise me “I loved your podcast.” What I'd love most is to hear your testimony. 

If you've lived like this, if you're living this to any degree, please share your heart and your testimony in the comments.

Thanks again for listening, and I hope you remain encouraged and, most importantly, that you’re in love with Him.