Theresa had a stroke 18 years ago. She lost control over her hands. Which means for all these years she’s struggled to do simple things in life, like styling her own hair. That’s why when she goes to the beauty salon, she leaves with a smile. She feels beautiful.
The trouble is, as soon as she washes her hair it falls flat, and she can’t get it to look the way her stylist does. Which means, until her next hair appointment comes around, Theresa doesn’t smile as much.
Andrew loves her smile. He’s been Theresa’s husband for nearly 45 years. He knows how much joy she feels when she gets her hair done. And he wanted her to feel great about her hair every day.
So, Andrew went to his wife’s salon and asked for some guidance. Theresa’s hairstylist helped him pick out the hair products he would need to re-create his wife’s look at home. Then she taught him how to use it all.
Andrew spent hours practicing with a brush, a curling iron, and hair spray. He’s not ready to declare himself a master hair stylist, but he sure enjoys seeing the smile on Theresa’s face.
Expressions of love like Andrew’s inspire me. You don’t hear about them very often, sadly. Our culture’s definition of love can sometimes swing too far to the side of good feelings. When that happens, relationships become about someone else making you happy or satisfying your wants and desires.
True love takes some grit as well. It takes sacrifice. It takes suffering.
It also takes humility. Grand gestures of love and romance have their place in marriage, but it’s the little choices you make every day that can make a good marriage great and breathe new vigor into a relationship that’s on life support.
On our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Making Daily Choices to Love Your Spouse,” we’re talking with Ron and Deb DeArmond about intentionally loving your spouse through commitment, self-sacrifice, and loving service.
Ron and Deb serve as Associate Pastors of Adult Ministry at Catch the Fire in Dallas, Texas. They’ve been married over 40 years. You can hear our conversation on your local radio station, online, on Apple Podcasts, via Google Podcasts, or take us with you on our free phone app.
Much of what we talked about was based on Deb’s book I Choose You Today: 31 Choices to Make Love Last. I’d like to put this resource into your hands for a gift of any amount. Give us a call at 1-800-A-FAMILY (232-6459). Or visit our website for more information.
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