Symbols Of Love

What do you see in the picture to your right?  Water.  Bottled water.  Propel black cherry to be exact.  I am not much of a water drinker.  In fact, unless I am playing sports or am very thirsty, I don’t drink much of it at all.  Combine this with the fact that I don’t drink coffee, or tea, or very much pop, and you get the idea that I don’t drink very much.  To correct this, I began drinking flavored water several years back.  For some reason I really like the taste of the black cherry.  Not too strong but enough taste that I actually drink it.  The result is that I drink about 40 oz. a day.  Yeah, I know - you’re supposed to drink 64 oz. or more but this is about all that I can handle.  Unless I’m outside in the sun - then I might get all of my daily water requirement in.  Now to the reason for the picture.

My wife takes very good care of me which is good because I tend to minimize and overlook my own needs.  It was the way I was raised.  One day I came home and saw all this Propel all over the place in the garage.  There must have been double the amount of bottles that you see in the picture.  Needless to say I noticed.  It was an impressive amount of water.  Knowing Beth, she got a great deal and so she decided to stock up on it.

When I saw all that water sitting there, I saw something else.  I saw a symbol of love.  Beth  knows that I like to drink it so she made sure that it was there when I wanted it.  How thoughtful.  How loving.  Of course, this isn’t the only symbol of love that I see around our house.  I see fresh, hot meals at dinner time.  I see clean, folded clothes lying neatly on the bed.  I see rooms that have been dusted and a bathroom that’s been cleaned.

The reality is there are symbols of the love of others all around us.  These could include any number of things - from a vehicle that was washed and/or vacuumed to a cup of coffee that was prepared for us; from a dishwasher that was loaded & unloaded to clothes that were washed and dried; from a lawn that was moved and trimmed to groceries that were purchased and put away.  Each and every day, dozens of little expressions of love enter our lives.  All we need to do is to take the time to recognize and appreciate them.  To savor them.  To thank the giver for them.

The same is true of God.  Each and every day He fills us with symbols of His love.  The smile of a spouse, the laughter of a child, the voice of a friend, a sunny sky, a star-lit night, a flower, a rainbow, the sound of a bird, the Bible, His promises, the breath of life.  In a hundred different ways God shows His love for us.  All we need to do is to take the time to recognize and appreciate them.  To savor them.  And thank God for them.

I don’t know what symbols of love are in your life but be on the lookout for them.  They are right there - right in front of your nose.  Train yourself to see them.  Take the time to appreciate them.  Take the time to be thankful for them.

Lord, I thank you for the dozens of symbols of love that invade my life every day.  Thank you for all the symbols of Your great love for me as well.  May I have eyes to see them, a heart to appreciate them, and lips to express thanks for them.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.