This coming Friday is that day when you have the opportunity to express special appreciation and love for your wife, husband, girlfriend, boyfriend – that important person in your life. How will you do that?
I heard a commercial for a jewelry store the other day, telling listeners to not go with the appliance but the diamond pendant; not to get her a gym membership but instead, the tennis bracelet.
This past week I heard an interview with Tony Dungy, the former NFL coach. He was talking about marriage when the host shared with Tony a story. It seems that the host has a friend who is an orthodox Jew who is in an arranged marriage. When asked about the divorce rate in that community, the host was surprised to learn that it is quite low. He inquired of his friend how this could be in an age of such high divorce statistics, especially when the mate was not of his own choosing. The man responded, “From the earliest age, we are taught that marriage is about serving each other.”
The host and Tony went on to discuss the problems created in both football and marriage, when we are more focused on ourselves than we are on serving others. Even Jesus addressed this concern when in Luke 22 when he said that the greatest in the kingdom of heaven is the one who is willing to be the least – the one who serves.
How much different would our relationships be if we were in pursuit of serving instead of being served? How special might this Valentine’s Day be if we are more focused on the gift we give instead of the gift we get? More importantly – how could the direction of this coming year perhaps change in our marriages if we learned to serve our mate? This Friday, I want to encourage you to give the gift of serving the person you love.