I am not an incredibly girly woman.
Yes, I like doing my hair and make-up or, “gettin’ all fancy” as my son calls it.
Yes, I occasionally paint my fingernails.
I even spent the Valentine’s Day my husband was at bootcamp watching P.S. I Love You with my mother in law, while enjoying a diy facial peel. (to this day, it’s one of my fondest memories with her.)
But, those times are the exceptions to the rule that I’m not a girly girl.
As such, I have no desire to watch Hallmark Christmas movies *gags* with worse scripting than many of the animal plays put on by my toddlers.
I don’t find joy or really even the appeal in reading the Christmas romance novels (one of which I received as a random gift at a moms of preschoolers exchange).
What makes me feel most loved is when my husband gives of himself to serve me.
Like tonight- I bathed the kiddos (all 3 in under an hour! Woo hoo!!) while my man cleaned up dinner and washed all the dishes.
That may be routine for some of you. But for me, it’s an act of service and of love. You have to understand that my husband and I worked in the food service industry through most of college. As such, we both spent our fair share of time bussing tables and cleaning up congealed food mess and, to put it kindly, it makes us both want to yarf.
In fact, on multiple occasions, my husband has chosen dirty diaper or vomit mess over doing the dishes.
I hate doing the dishes. Nothing feels more like theft of my time than standing still at a sink, washing stuck-on food off dinnerware. I’m gagging thinking about it.
So for him to take that on for me is such a blessing.
We aren’t “romantic” like lots of other couples. And there have been times where our salty sarcasm has made people wonder if we even like each other. But that’s just us. And that my husband knows me well enough to love me in those ways of service is beyond attractive, and I treasure that kind of intimacy- the really knowing and being known- the heart of your spouse.
I challenge you to really show love to someone this Christmas. Serve them in a way that will bless their heart. And I mean that with all my southern sincerity and only a touch of my Yankee condescension. 😉
Wholly Holy Living 