How Full is Your Tank?

Phew! Finally some energy to start blogging again.

We all heard about the 'love tank' illustration devised by Dr G Chapman. It's an excellent idea which hit the nail on the head for most couples and got the ball rolling in some relationships. In his book The Five Love Languages, Dr Chapman goes into full detail on what it means to fulfill each others' love tanks and how to discover each others' love languages.

Today we are going to discuss about something in reverse that goes hand in hand with the love tank theory - the Giving Tank. (hmm let me put on my Dr Phil hat...)

What is the Giving Tank? I figured Love and Giving were always made for each other. Ever heard of the more you give, the more you will receive? Try it and tell me it isn't true.

The theory behind it is simple: imagine a flower/plant garden.

Can't help but be a bit airy-fairy here, but love is like a garden.

I am no garden expert, but this much I know - It needs nurturing, it needs fertilizer, and lots of care. Flowers and plants need to be protected- from sun, storm, strong winds and insects. When a plant wilts, what do we do? Yep, we put a stick through its main branch and tie it there until the plant can stand on it's own again. If weeds grow around it, what do we do? We uproot them and make sure they don't take all the nutrients from our precious plant. If insects attack it, what do we do? We buy insecticide and kill them all (hmm....this may not be applicable to our species though...). We trim off the wilted flowers in anticipation of new ones. We water them and put the more delicate plants in the shade so the hot Perth sun doesn't sear them.

What happens to the garden after it has received all our care, protection and nurturing?

The result of a flourising, colourful garden is proof of how much love the caretaker has put into it. That is nature's way of giving something back to us in return.

For those who are in relationships, regardless of whether you are a partner, or sister, mother, brother, and the like- how full is your Giving Tank?

Is your partner or loved one flourishing?

Have you let weeds grow without realising the consequences, have you forgotten how fragrant a budding flower can be or the joy of seeing firstfruits on a tree?

Is your love tank half empty, half full, empty or full? If it needs some filling, put some work into your Giving Tank. When it starts to fill, I gurantee the Love Tank will double in size. However, the only way to do this is through Phillipians 4:13- the Strength of our God.

If you think you've left off too far behind, don't worry- this is a new year. The Giving Tank is waiting to be filled.