Bible Text: Ephesians 6:7 | Speaker: Darlene Sala | Series: Encouraging Words |

My friend Pat says her husband is a wonderful man, but he had one flaw: when he took off his shoes in the house, he would just leave them wherever he took them off. He would never put them away where they belong. Pat highly resented always having to pick them up, day after day.

One day the Lord said to her, “Pat, would you pick up those shoes if they were Mine?” “Of course, Lord,” she responded. “After all You’ve done for me, I’d do anything for You.” Then it hit her. She was married to a terrific man. In her mind she reviewed all the good things he did for her. She became convinced that only pride was making her feel resentful of picking up the shoes of the man who was so good to her.

Actually, much of what we do in our homes could be called “servants’ work,” couldn’t it. Sometimes we resent doing the lowly tasks for one another. It’s so easy to think, “He could do that himself. He’s just lazy!” And men aren’t the only guilty ones. Many a husband gets in the car to drive to work and finds that his wife let the gas tank get so empty that he can’t get there without first filling the tank. Yet the Bible says, “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men” (Ephesians 6:7).

There’s a postscript to Pat’s story. One time when she was speaking to a group of women, she told how God had spoken to her about her attitude regarding her husband’s shoes. Her husband happened to be in the audience. He had no idea that this was an issue with her—she had never said anything to him about it. But from that time on, he picked up his own shoes!

While I can’t guarantee your mate will change, I do know that doing acts of service for him or her is a powerful way of saying, “I truly love you.” Sometimes your loving actions speak louder than words.