Another Way to Love

We had the whole house to ourselves. The whole house. With no kids. For the entire evening.

The last time such an event occurred, we shared a magical evening spawning this post. So when I realized all our kids were going to be elsewhere, you could say I had high hopes.

But it had been a long day. He was tired and wanted nothing more than to veg on the couch. I decided to be gracious. Let him snooze there a while, I thought. Get him something to eat, give him some space, let him recharge and then he'd surely have some time for me.

So I cleaned up the kitchen, did a little laundry, did some cooking for the next day, even left to get a few groceries and he stayed planted. I did what needed to be done thinking when we put a movie in he'd want to get cozy.

Be he didn't. He enjoyed his liaison with the couch.

I wanted to be irritated. Who am I kidding? I was irritated. I barely kept the snippy at bay. I wanted to tell him I'd had a long day too, remind him I was up earlier than he was. I wanted to point out everything I'd done since we got home that he hadn't. But I kept my mouth shut. Instead I asked God how to handle the grrr I was feeling.

"This how you love him", God said, "by letting him have the kind of evening he wants to have. Love is patient and kind. It does not seek its own."

Is it bad of me to admit I didn't like His answer? Where was the justification for my feelings, the proof I was right? Why couldn't He tell my husband to be the bigger person instead of me? Hadn't I done enough? When did Kevin get a turn to push his desires aside for my sake?

Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not seek its own.

No matter what the other person does.

Truth be told, my husband's probably done it for me more times than I know. I've probably overlooked his attempts to let me have my way too.

So we had a perfectly boring evening. We watched a stupid movie that wasn't worth the time invested. Two of the kids came home and I waited up for the other while he went to bed. And though the evening didn't turn out as I hoped, I did accomplish one very great thing.

I loved my husband.

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Photo Credit: joesflickr