doing the dishes

Meet Bobby. My husband. (The one who makes the title of my blog a true statement )


Before Bobby and I got married, he told me he wanted to be an equal help around the house when he was home. 50/50.  So he said that he wanted to help out by doing the dishes.... every night. Was I crazy enough to turn him down? No.

I have often reflected on that conversation. Evenings when he is in the kitchen doing the dishes, even on nights I didn't cook. I've thought about what it takes in a person to make a decision of that kind, and follow through with it every day he is at home, for ten years. Of course there have been times over the years when he has been sick, or gone, or the evening has gotten away from him. But 99% of the time, he does it.
I'm pretty sure I have never heard him complain about it. There are probably many nights when doing the dishes is the last thing he wants to do after a long day at work, followed by a possibly chaotic evening. If I offer to do it, he says not to worry about it. And now after 3 kids, I'm sure there are times he is thinking.. "why did I agree to this!" But, he does it.

Now, I am not telling you this to try to convince you I have the best husband in the world. (although I think I may)  I am telling you this, to share with you what this has done in ME. What it does to a person to be loved in such a way, with such consistency, over a long period of time. It is a daily reminder to me that I am deeply loved. That I am worth being loved. Whether we are having an off day, or an on day. It often makes me ask myself if I am loving him back in the same, consistent, practical ways. Or with my kids, my friends, my neighbors...strangers?

I have recently read the book "Love Does" by Bob Goff . Which I highly recommend. The basis of the book is about how love doesn't just keep thinking about it, or planning for it. Love doesn't just have good intentions. It doesn't just talk about good things, or agree with them. Love DOES. How the kind of love God created involves sacrifice and presence. Doing things when you may not feel like it. A love that never grows tired, or is totally finished finding new ways to express itself.
I want to love in this way! And who wouldn't want to BE loved in this way?
When we love well it is like an active force. It inspires and changes. It's simply the kind of love God calls us to.

I've been asking the Lord to highlight the areas in my life where I could step up my loving well a notch. I invite you to do the same.

(If you haven't read my About Me page- check it out)