Love is the most powerful force in the universe (1 Cor. 13:13). That’s not surprising, since God is love (1 Jn. 4:8)! Scripture tells us that love is a covering for sins (1 Pe. 4:8), it is the fuel that energizes our faith (Gal. 5:6), it is proof that we belong to the Father (Mt.5:43-46; Jn. 8:42), is Jesus’ principal command to us (Jn. 15:17), and while all else fades away, love remains and cannot be overcome or fail (1 Cor. 13:8)!

We celebrate love this month on Valentines Day. While that is traditionally a day for sweethearts – as Christians, love is to be the distinguishing characteristic of our lives. Love has also been shown, scientifically, to have far-reaching health benefits. I’ve mentioned before how feeling the emotions of love, care, gratitude and appreciation can positively affect your autonomic nervous system, enabling your body to replenish and repair itself.

According to research, the hormone, oxytocin, which is released during childbirth, and is known to stimulate bonding between a mother and infant, also reduces cell death in the heart and reduces inflammation, which is the primary cause of degenerative disease, and which can also slow healing. Oxytocin is released by your pituitary gland and enables your body to decrease stress hormones and lower your blood pressure. It’s even been found to reduce cravings for sweets, drugs and alcohol. Both men and women release this hormone and besides labor, the primary way to release it is through skin-to-skin contact with another person.

Here are some suggestions for how to reap the benefits of love in your physical body as well as in your relationships: 

1. Begin cultivating and strengthening warm, loving, intimate relationships. There is nothing more important than strengthening your closest relationships with family and friends. Every positive interaction you enjoy with a loved one (nurturing others, participating in your church family, Bible study, support or other group, even simply sharing a meal) will increase your levels of oxytocin.

2. If you are married, be sure to nurture your spouse and your relationship together. It’s been found that couples tend to live longer, healthier lives than singles, perhaps for this very reason. (If you are single, this does NOT mean you will not live a long, healthy life – just be sure to cultivate loving relationships. Obviously the quality of the relationship has much to do with the benefits. A stressful, strife-filled marriage will not benefit your health.)

3. Physical touch, such as holding hands, kissing, hugging and massage, anywhere on your body, will also stimulate release of oxytocin.

4. Breathing exercises and any physical exercise that combines mind and body, such as yoga, qi gong or tai chi, will also stimulate its release.

5. Physical touch includes petting and playing with your dog or cat! Spending a few minutes with your pet has been shown to lower blood pressure. It’s no wonder pet owners seem to be able to deal more effectively with stress and even heal more quickly from illness.

The bottom line is that we are created for relationship. However, in order to love others, we must have a healthy love for ourselves. It all begins with realizing and accepting God’s love for us. We can then love God with all our being. From that point, we can then extend that love to others, which creates truly healthy relationships as well as physical and psychological health.