That is why I am commanding you to share freely.
Deuteronomy 15:11
This blog for which I’m indebted to Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott reminded me of the reputation that church goers have gotten for their lunches after worship on Sundays. Ask nearly any wait staff if they enjoy working in food service on Sundays. Many will say they’d rather stay home because all too many worshipers are chincy tippers. There’s something incredibly wrong about that. So, before we examine how this concept applies to your relationship with your spouse, here’s a suggestion. Always, tip 20% to your wait staff.
Check your total minus applicable taxes and give a generous tip. In addition, pay careful attention to how you relate to each other over lunch. Look around you when you are lunching next time and see how many married people you can identify by the way they avoid looking at each other or talking to each other. Shame on you if you all are one of those.
One of our traditions is to have lunch after church…give each other our undivided attention…talk about our weeks…hold hands…love each other out loud…learn the name of your server…thank them for working on Sunday, and then leave a generous tip.
Now then, for this week, consider this: Sometimes a little story, apocryphal or true, can make a point that stays with us. So here’s one about a little boy that carries an underlying message for every couple:
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Many years ago, a ten-year-old boy walked up to the counter of a soda shop and climbed onto a stool. He caught the eye of the waitress and asked, “How much is an ice cream sundae?”
“Fifty cents,” the waitress replied.
The boy reached into his pockets, pulled out a handful of change, and began counting. The waitress frowned impatiently. After all, she had other customers to wait on.
The boy squinted up at the waitress. “How much is a dish of plain ice cream?” he asked.
The waitress sighed and rolled her eyes. “Thirty-five cents,” she said with a note of irritation.
Again, the boy counted his coins. At last, he said, “I’ll have the plain ice cream, please.” He put a quarter and two nickels on the counter. The waitress took the coins, brought the ice cream, and walked away. About ten minutes later, she returned and found the ice cream dish empty. The boy was gone. She picked up the empty dish-then swallowed hard. There on the counter, next to the wet spot where the dish had been, were two nickels and five pennies. The boy had had enough for a sundae, but he had ordered plain ice cream so he could leave a tip.
Like this little boy, you have the opportunity set aside selfish desires and budget your time and your energy to make sure you have enough for your spouse.The question is whether you will set it aside or not.
- Do you set aside priority time for dates?
- Do you have traditions that you celebrate?
- Are you making memories on purpose that you can relive over the years?
- Is your marriage a priority or a convenience?
Selfishness is that detestable vice which no one will forgive in others, and no one is without in himself.
— Henry Ward Beecher
American Congregationalist clergyman, social reformer
Call to Action:
What’s one practical way you can demonstrate generosity toward your spouse this week?
Come on now. No matter how much time you have wasted getting here, it’s never too late to start making memories. Do something this week…I’m not kidding!!!
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