“Here, these are for you.”
My soon-to-be 90 year old father-in-law was released from the hospital after a three and one-half week stay. Now home and continuing to deal with troublesome mind issues, he displayed an act that has been so common in his 67 years of marriage.
As he passed by the table, on a journey only in his mind, he didn’t forget to express his love and tenderness to his beloved wife . . . another time.
He reached over, picked up the white vase of artificial roses and handed them to my mother-in-law. “Here, these are for you.”
“Here, these are for you.”
Immediately, the thought came to my mind, “I hope after forty-one plus years of being married to my sweetheart, if I am in such a state, that I will express the love and tenderness to my wife that comes from making many more investments in our marriage than withdrawals.
What investments have you made in your marriage this week? What tender moments have you shared? What words of endearment have been intentionally expressed? How have you served your spouse? Where did you leave a love note? When did you meaningfully hug and kiss?
The investments that count are those opposite of the financial world type of investments. You expect nothing in return.
You love, you give, you invest, you speak out of a grace-filled, grace-enabled heart. There are no strings attached. That’s the way the Lord loves us.
Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant. It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered, it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a)
“Here, these are for you.”
From A Pastor's Heart 
Iām glad I got to witness this. š