Love is an Action

"You can give without loving,
But you cannot love without giving." Amy Carmichael

As warm and fuzzy as love can sometimes be, it doesn't take long after the wedding bells to realize that love can also be difficult and downright hard. It's easy to say the words ~ to talk the flowery talk and make someone else feel good. But until the rubber hits the road, and actions begin to speak, love is nothing more than that: words.

True love is action. If I truely love someone, I am going to give: of myself, of my time, of my resources, etc. I don't just sit and tell my husband how much I love him, and expect him to believe me. I do what I can to be a helpmeet to him, I look for ways to serve him within the home and without. I make an effort to honor him, and speak well of him when out and about. I make an effort to be his best friend, taking an interest in the things he is interested in, and I am his lover ~ he gets all of me. Not just a bit here, and a little there, but I am wholly his. I make (although admittedly, I do fail) every effort to put into action those precious words, "I love you."

Lest you think that this is one-sided, my Beloved also makes every effort to make sure that I *know* that when he says he loves me, he means it. He is particularly good at acts of service. Recently, I have not felt particularly well, and he has taken over cooking, and making sure the children are keeping things straightened up. Not because I asked him to, but because he knows that it relieves stress for me to not have to worry about those things when I am not feeling well. He is wonderful about coming up with innovative ways to make my jobs easier around the house, when I have difficulty with something. Example: A few years ago he bought me a front loading washer. Our dryer was still working fine, so, we didn't replace it. However, when I am pregnant (which seems to be quite often), it is difficult to bend over and pull things out of that machine. So, while we were at the store, looking at washers and accessories, he decides that he can build me a box to go under the dryer. It's wonderful! My dryer sits at the same height as my washer, and so it's quite easy to move clothing from the washer to the dryer, and it's also easy for me to take out the dry clothes out and get them folded.

Think about ways to *show* your love to your husband today. Put some feet on those sweet words.