Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18
The first time I moved out of my parents’ house was when I got married. I had lived in the same place since I was probably six months old. I grew up with lots of space and woods around me, and I wasn’t used to neighbors being very close. A couple months before the wedding, we were told we better start looking for a place to live. One of the first places we saw was perfect for us! It was an apartment, but there were only two levels, with two units on each level. There was a pond for the hubby to fish across the street and a cute little yard to enjoy beside our place. Even though we weren’t in the city, it wasn’t quite as remote as I was used to. Plus, I wasn’t used to not having animals around!
The new hubby realized this was going to be a bit of an adjustment, so he tried to help me out. He got me…fish. That was really cool and held me over for a while, but I can’t say they interacted with me too much. Our first anniversary was coming up and he surprised me with a class about horses. He loved me so much that he was going to take it with me even though he wasn’t a huge fan!
The first several classes were for learning, the next several were for riding. The first night we were to ride he didn’t look so good. I think he was having a very lengthy conversation with the Big Guy that evening…all throughout class. I had just gotten done riding (while having the time of my life), and it was now his turn. He manned up and headed over to the sweetest, oldest, most docile horse you would ever want to see. I don’t think he was breathing quite right, and I’m pretty sure the conversation was still going on with God. He got next to the horse when the instructor realized class was over. I have never seen such relief on someone’s face before!
He kept his word about going with me, and I have no doubt he would have put himself through misery until the very end. I knew I had to leave him off the hook. If I didn’t already know for sure, which I did, I knew after that one year anniversary gift just how much he loved me. He not only was willing to do something he REALLY didn’t want to do just to support me, he was doing it during archery season. To him, love wasn’t just a feeling, it was an action.
I told him to go hunting on the nights of class because I appreciated his willingness to “give up his life for me” by getting on that horse, but I was comfortable enough to go on my own. Now I didn’t just think he was the best in the world, he thought I was too!
How many times do we forget that love is best in action? It’s something you show. The words are great, but the actions really show someone how much you appreciate and love them. Jesus is love. Nobody put that into action better than Him. How are you going to put love into action today?
