As I head out of the door this morning with my cup loaded full of Door County Red Velvet Mocha Coffee, my only thoughts are of returning home to my wife and dog later tonight. If that sounds selfish and weak, "Guilty As Charged"!
1 Corinthians 13:1-3
13 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.I like to read 1Corinthians 13 quite often. As I read the chapter I see the words "but do not have love" and it reminds me that it is not the desire to be loved that is penned, but the ability to express love to others that should be our desire.
I like my job and everyone knows that I like to duck hunt. But it is walking through the door and being greeted by a wagging tail and a "Hey Hon welcome home, how was your day?'" that makes the drive home seem like 1000 miles.
I am like every other guy in the world. We find it hard to express ourselves in words to those who love us. I am lousy at doing that.
I do 99% of all the cooking in the family. When I see Rene cutting into a piece of meatloaf or lasagna and she looks across the table at me and smiles, I know she feels the love because those are her two favorite meals. When I am standing outside in a blizzard with the dog so he does not have to do his business alone, he knows that he is loved. It is important to verbalize our feelings of love toward others. People need to hear it. But we also need to show our love by making a sacrifice now and then and showing our love through actions. We need to remember that some people struggle with verbal expressions. That doesn't mean that you aren't loved.
So if you are living with someone who does not express their love verbally, watch to see what they do that says they love you. I recently was talking with a young man who said that "my dad never says he loves me". I know his dad personally and this guy is a manly man, quite macho and struggles with expressing himself in words. I asked this young man how much he liked the new fancy running shoes that he was wearing. He said "they are great". He also told me that the cost was $150 dollars for the pair and how his parents took him for the shoes on a snowy night. I reminded him that his mom was blessed to be home with the kids and did not have to work. I asked him how his job was going at the local ice cream emporium. "Oh I worked Friday night and we were so busy. I went home exhausted". I mentioned that his dad works long hours and works very hard. I said "and those shoes don't say I love you"? I hunt with his dad now and then and I recall him saying that his waders leaked a little and that he was cold. I mentioned that it might be time for a new pair. "Not until next year. My boy is a runner and I want him to have great shoes."
Loving others is truly doing things for the someone without expecting anything in return. If you are not feeling loved, well shake the sugar tree, not by whining but reaching out and expressing your love though words and actions. Do it without keeping a score or expecting anything in return. Love will find it's way back to you, maybe in a smile or a grin. But it's love.
God bless. You are all loved.
Marty
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