What it means to “be love” in your community

Valentine’s Day is upon us again, and with it, our focus turns to love. But why do we tend to focus only on romantic relationships? We can create a culture of love every day in the way that we treat and serve others. This Valentine’s Day, consider what it means tobe lovein your community.

Being others-focused

We have been called tolive God’s lovein our communities. Part of our mission as a healthcare organization is to inspire health and wellness. That inspiration rolls over into a goal to help improve physical, mental and spiritual health—both for ourselves and for those around us.

What does this look like? Showing love is closely tied to being of service. When we show love, we are others-focused, not self-focused. We’re not meant to spend every second of our time on ourselves. We are meant to use our strengths and passions to uplift and inspire others.

How can I be love?

To be love, think about what activities fill your cup. Do you enjoy visiting and spending time with others? Do you like to get your hands dirty in your garden or yard? Would you rather use your creative talents to make something—write a letter, draw a picture or create a piece of music?

Identify what fills your cup, and then consider how you can engage in those activities on the behalf of others. Could you schedule a visit with someone in your community who is lonely? Is there a neighbor who could use some extra help cleaning up their yard? Could you write a letter or send a piece of art to someone who needs encouragement? This is what it means to be love.

What’s in it for me?

When we merge our talents with helping others, we actually experience a significant return on our investment. In fact,researchhas found that our brain gets even more reward and feelings of well-being from showing love to others than it does when we are receiving that support.

In addition to the mental benefits of being love, we experience positive physical effects, too.Studieshave found that helping others can help promote a longer life, reduce chronic pain and lower blood pressure.

When we choose to be love, the result is a sharedsense of belonging. Acts of kindness help to promote happiness, optimism and feelings of confidence. Serving others is also inspirational. And when others are encouraged to repeat the kindness, the result is a ripple effect into a more positive, loving community.

Want to #BeLove? Show us!

Tag us @AdventistHealth on social media and use the hashtag #BeLove so we can see how you are “being love” in your community.