A young wife looked up at her husband and pleaded: “Pa-leeeeese won’t you watch Mama Mia 2 with me?”
“C’mon,” he groaned. “You know it’s a chick flick.”
“I know. But I love it! I just want you to watch it with me. I want to enjoy it with you.”
Despite her pleading, he wouldn’t relent. He couldn’t sacrifice two hours of his time to put a smile on his wife’s face.
“My soccer team is playing tonight. You gonna come watch?”
His wife knows he’s afraid to come right out and ask her to come. She knows it’s a subtle invitation—a request.
“Ummmm. It’s so cold out there. And there’s no place to sit. And I need to stay here and do a couple loads of laundry.”
“Oh, yeah,” he mumbles and turns away to get himself something out of the refrigerator.
What was the last time your spouse asked you to do something with them or for them that you knew would give them great joy, but you just didn’t want to do it? What did you say to them? Did you make a lame excuse, or did you sacrifice a little so you could put a smile on their face?
Don’t Follow The World
The world has taught us, “Me first,” “Numero uno,” “If I don’t look out for me, who will?” We have forgotten the joy of giving to others—especially our spouses—through tangible gifts, words, and actions. The Apostle Paul teaches a different approach: “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3-4 NASB)
As husbands and wives, we have a unique opportunity to give joy to our spouse. What was the last time you sacrificed a little to put a smile on your spouse’s face? What will you do this week simply for the joy of making them smile? And, a note to the wives—If you happen to wake up early one morning and snuggle close to your husband and sing softly in his ear, “Come a little bit closer, you’re my kind of man . . .” and your husband gets a big smile on his face—would that be so bad?
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This article was first published on our blog on September 19, 2018. The photo in this article is of our beautiful daughter and son-in-law. Thank you to Jessica Williams and Samanthakait Photography for permission to use it.
