They gave me the gift so quietly that it took me years before I realized I'd been given a gift at all. In fact I didn't understand what they had done for me until it was my turn to do it for some one else.
“Love is not jealous” 1 Corinthians 13:4 This was one of the wedding gifts my parents gave me. My parents encouraged me to become part of my husband's family. They taught me to call my husband's parents the same names that had uniquely applied to them, Mom and Dad. They gave me permission to love and be loved by another family.
If my parents had shown jealousy I would have been torn but they didn't. Instead they took a step back and allowed me to bond to my husband and his family. This was done so quietly and without any fan fare that it was only when it was my turn to love someone so much that I was willing to step back that I began to understand this sacrificial gift of love.
When love is not jealous it shows that the focus is more on the one being loved than the one loving. True love seeks what it best for the recipient. When it was my turn to love someone enough to step back so that someone else could step forward I discovered that it wasn't easy. When I was confronted by my selfish jealous heart I suddenly remembered my parents. They never spoke about their gift they simply gave it.
Lord Jesus, thank You for giving me parents who have taught me so much by example! Please let me live my life in a way that shows sacrificial love.
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