Last month, my husband and I celebrated our two year wedding anniversary.
We celebrated July 18th after we’d both worked a full day, and still had the rest of the week ahead of us.
I made one of his favorite meals, and set the dining room table for a candlelight dinner while he finished some work in our home office. Then we exchanged glances, gifts, and enjoyed some long overdue quiet time and conversation.
I didn’t care that we weren’t eating lobster at a five star restaurant, or spending time away at the beach or a fantastic bed and breakfast. I was happy just getting the opportunity to serve him, care for him, and show him just how much he means to me.
It was my way of honoring him for being such a wonderful friend and partner in life.
That’s because I believe “to love is to serve.”
Many people think the only definition of serving is waiting on someone hand and foot without reciprocation, but that’s not what it means here.
In this case, to serve is to treat in a specific way…out of love, which is an unselfish, loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another.
As an only child, I spent many years being selfish and only caring about myself. But over the last two years, I’ve learned so much about love from my husband. We’ve also been able to meet wonderful married couples, who have become some of our closest friends. They all have this light that radiates true love through the way they serve each other.
Whether it’s praying for each other, cooking for each other, taking care of specific tasks, or simply doing things that inspire and encourage, each action speaks volumes.
The nineteenth century writer and poet Robert Louis Stevenson said:
“So long as we love, we serve”
And now, I’m truly a believer.
So as long as my husband is alive for me to love, I will be serving him and showing him that he means the world to me.
How do you serve the people who are important to you?
