“And still, after all this time, the Sun has never said to the Earth, ‘You owe me.’ Look what happens with love like that. It lights up the sky.” -Persian poet
The best way we can love is to serve. I remember a good friend, who also happens to be a psychologist, telling me that if all married couples practiced one simple step many marriage struggles would disappear. Her advice? Each morning each spouse should ask, “What can I do to serve my partner today?” How many battlefronts would dissolve if we lived like this?
Instead we walk around privileged. We feel this world owes us. We believe we are entitled to the things we have in life, including people.
But, just ask a widow about entitlement. A widow soon discovers that life owes you nothing. In fact, nothing in life is guaranteed. Life gives and life takes away. The lesson is harsh. I can do nothing to deserve or justify or control my life. Life isn’t here for me. Life isn’t here to meet my desires, fill my bucket, make sure Jennifer is healthy and happy. Instead I am here for a specific purpose. Jennifer was put here to serve. We were all put here to serve.
This message is completely insane. Loving is serving? Life’s biggest lesson screams about not being fair.
Steven and I went to dinner with our neighbors and the next day I received an email saying, “It was so nice to see you both and how happy you are together. You even know what to order for each other.”
Do you know what to order for your spouse? Do you know what small gesture would hold great significance for a friend? Do you have an idea in mind how to bless someone in your family today and are you willing to take the time to do it?
There is a friend in my graduate program that brings food each week to class. She is an amazing chef. This past Monday night she treated our cohort with fried rice and egg rolls. Why does she serve us like that? Why does she love us like that? I can’t answer why. All I know is the Persian poet is correct, her loving gesture lights up the week for the rest of us.
Light up the sky for someone you cherish. Not because you deserve them in your life, but because you want to serve them with your life.
