LOVEBIRDS!!!

‘Lovebirds’ Shutterstock photo.

Love is in the air! Look at the pair of lovebirds in the photo above! These lovebirds are extremely loving creatures! They preen each other, kiss and even feed each other (like an overly affectionate couple in a restaurant of Valentine’s Day!)

Then there are Prairie Dogs that appear to kiss when they come and go from their burrow. Sea otters lie on their backs when they’re in need of a deep doze, but their prone position also creates the perfect excuse to hold paws with their significant other.
Chimpanzees share approximately 95% of our human DNA. They show affection for one another by embracing , touching hands and even kissing. Chimpanzees laugh when they play.
A pair of Albatrosses, sea birds with a wing- span of 9-11 feet, snuggle, preen each other tenderly, and gaze into each other’s eyes, just as you would imagine from a pair of lovebirds.

And then there are our pets!

Dogs! ‘Man’s Best Friend’. Dogs show us what unconditional love looks like!
And cats! They snuggle with you, purr when you pet them, and rub your legs to show you affection. My cat squints her eyes at me and says, ‘Oh dad I just love you!’
Horse’s hug, snuggle, lick, nicker, lean against you, rub their nose on you to show their affection for you.  
People have all kinds of pets that show affection!  Pot-bellied pigs, rabbits, birds and even a sloth!  These pets ‘share the love’ with us.  I once held a cockatoo.  Now I understand why they call them ‘velcro’ birds!  As I brought it toward me, it snuggled into my chest and rubbed its head back and forth under my chin, sticking to me like velcro as I petted its’ feathers! A man in our hometown used to walk around town with an opossum wrapped around his neck. Is there any limit on how many critters God has given the capacity to show affection?

My wife and I watched a beautifully filmed ‘MUST SEE’ movie on Netflix called, ‘My Octopus Teacher’.  An octopus showing affection???  YES!!!!! 
Click on the following link to watch the trailer: https://youtu.be/3s0LTDhqe5A 

Remember from my intro that there are two books to be read which lead to a knowledge of God and how He intended us to live.  The ‘Book’ of Nature and the Bible.

What do you read from this chapter of ‘The Book of Nature?

Do you marvel at the love and affection displayed by so many of Gods’ creatures?  Does it inspire you to ‘do ye likewise’? 
We live in a country that’s starved for physical affection, where an outbreak of hugging by high school students prompted media coverage! (See ‘Free Hugs Campaign’.). In fact, according to Psychology Today, lack of physical affection can actually kill babies. This information is based on an experiment conducted on 40 newborn infants to determine whether individuals could thrive alone on basic physiological needs without affection.  It was performed in the United States in 1944.  The experiment was halted after four months, by which time, at least half of the babies had died.

In the second book, the Bible, Jesus actually makes loving each other a command!  He said, ‘Love each other as I have loved you’. John 15:12 

Why???  Because He loves us and knows what is best for us!

It also encourages us to: 

‘Have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.’ 1 Peter 1:22. 
‘Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another.’ Romans 12:10.
‘Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.’ Ephesians 4:32. 
‘Value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.’ Philippians 2:3-4. 
‘As we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.’ Galatians 6:10
AND, in three different books of the bible, encourages us to ‘Greet one another with a holy kiss.’ 

Do you hug, kiss (you gotta envy those Italians) or otherwise show affection to your family and friends?  I was raised in a family that did not hug, kiss or say I love you to one-another.  Believe me, it handicapped me in my relationship to God the FATHER and my family.

Take a lesson from ‘The Book of Nature and the Bible, LOVE ONE-ANOTHER as Jesus commanded and you, your friends and family will be severely blessed.