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*Today’s devotional is given in honor of all those persons, like this writer, who are single and could easily give up on meeting that special someone, but have not given up on enjoying that love of our life, whom we are praying to meet. We are all made for great Love, and, therefore, we should pray for nothing less.
Looking back over the last week, in which we celebrated Love on Valentines Day 2006, I am reminded of one of my all-time favorite stories, which I read several years ago from Dr. Benjamin Shield, in his article “The Birthright of Our Heart.” He begins the article with simple but profound words: Love is there—always. Now, I share the story.
A radio commentator was taking her vacation at a gorgeous seaside town in Mexico. One afternoon she saw an elderly couple walking hand in hand along the beach. They were clearly deeply in love. Later the same day she saw the same couple at dinner. Being curious, she apologetically introduced herself and asked them the secret of their wonderful relationship. The answer was not what she would ever have expected. The woman replied, “Our secret is that my husband has always been a bit hard of hearing! You see, we were married during the Depression. Both of us worked two, sometimes three, jobs just to make ends meet. One day I came home so exhausted, I said to my husband, ‘I’m so tired, my teeth hurt!’ Well, he took me by the hand, sat me down, took off my shoes, and lovingly rubbed my feet!” She continued, “I think you understand the mix-up! But from that day on, this became our little ritual. At the end of the day, my husband has always lovingly rubbed my feet. With this simple act, he shows me daily how much he loves me and, in turn, I remember how much I love him. And no matter what else is going on in our lives, or in our world, we always remember how easy it is to love each other.”
I do not want to hear again, from anyone, things like, “Relationships are hard work.” Love is as simple as rubbing someone’s feet. Love is not complex, rather, we humans are complex. There is nothing more simple than loving another person, when we get past our fear of being loved. Otherwise, we stay imprisoned in our own sweaty cocoon, and all the time complaining that we are going without the love we seek. When loving someone becomes more important to us than the false security of our suffocating cocoon, then, we will find love a most rewarding and enjoyable experience.
OneLife Ministries is a pastoral outreach and nurture ministry of the First United Methodist Church, Fort Meade, FL. For Spiritual Direction, Pastoral Counseling, spiritual formation workshops, Christian meditation retreats, or more information about OneLife, write Rev. Dr. Brian K. Wilcox at briankwilcox@comcast.net.
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