The Sparkle of Sincerity (03/05/2025)

This past weekend, I was very sick. My husband wasn’t feeling well one of those days, but he sprang back much sooner than I. Most of the time, I was simply trying to rest and breathe. My lungs were terribly congested. My coughs hurt. As I rested in my most comfortable rocker in the family room, my husband looked at me, looked around the house, and then announced, “I’m going to take your car to the car wash.” I smiled and said, “That would be great.”

I recognized, as he made his announcement, that he would do anything to make me more comfortable or better in general. But he knew it wasn’t in his control. So, he did what he usually does – something, anything that says he cares. And so, he took my terribly dirty car to the car wash.

It’s one of the many things I love about him – that he refuses to do nothing. This weekend, he knew he couldn’t heal me. But doing nothing just wasn’t a good option. So, he did something that said he cared about me. Even though it didn’t have anything to do with making my flu better, it actually did make me feel “better.” He thinks a lot like my dad who taught me that it’s never a bad time to do a good thing for another.

I was thinking about my husband’s thoughtfulness this morning. I wish I were more like that. I took that wish to the LORD who alone can give me the grace and inspiration to act lovingly more frequently. I also asked the LORD to help me combine my prayer for others with actual acts of kindness. I realize the acts of kindness have no impact on another’s immediate suffering, but it is my prayer that if I give my love and intention to the LORD, the LORD might make even more of it than I ever could.

I’m looking forward to my next errand, to driving in a spotless, sparkly car thanks to my husband's gift to me when I was not feeling well. And as I dart about the community, I pray that I will be on the lookout for the good I could be doing. Afterall, there’s never a bad time to do a good thing for another.

Let us all love well.