Practical love

Standing in the bathroom, I pulled out the hair dryer and began to dry my sopping wet hair. We had company coming and I was hurrying to get ready. For me, it's a chore to dry my hair. I don't have a lot of hair, and it isn't long...that's not the problem at all. My problem lies in my swollen arms. Even at this early hour, the Lymphedema makes little things challenging.

"Let me do it, " my husband said as he walked up behind me and took the hair dryer from me. He had seen me struggling. As his big, manly hands took control of the hot pink hair dryer, I looked up at him and smiled. Here was my 6 foot 4 husband playing hair stylist. He'd never done this before in over 22 years of marriage, but he knew there was a need and his love prompted him to act. 

I love it when God shows up during acts of practical love! As my husband was blowing my hair around, I didn't have the heart to tell him I usually styled my hair with a round brush while drying it. I was just so overwhelmed that he actually wanted to help me that I didn't care one tiny bit how he was doing it. I watched him in the mirror as he continued to shake my hair with one hand, moving the strands around gently, as he blew with the other. The determination on his face was priceless. I could almost see the love pouring out of him.

When he was through, he looked at my hair and asked if it was okay. I looked up at him and grinned. He'd done a perfect job! No, my hair wasn't styled like I usually style it, but that's okay. What mattered more was the love that gone into that styling job! If I'd gone to a salon for a blow out, they would have charged $20! No amount of money on earth could have bought the tender love and affection my husband had put into this fifteen minute time slot. 

He walked back into the living room to watch his television show and left me standing there in front of the mirror. As I looked at my reflection, tears welled up in my eyes. How many men would have taken time to notice their wife was having difficulty doing such a simple task as drying their hair? I bet not many, but since my surgery and my problems with Lymphedema, my sweet husband has become my knight in shining armor. There's no task too small in his eyes. Whatever he can do to help, he does. And the things he does...he does purely out of love. A real practical, everyday love for me. 

I am so blessed! My hot pink hair dryer sits in the caddy on the bathroom counter now. It's quiet and cool just waiting for the next blow dry opportunity to come along. I know it won't always happen, but whenever my adoring husband offers to dry my hair again, I'm going to let him. It felt pretty good to be pampered today and it felt even better to feel so very loved. 

My arms thanked him because they were so swollen and made movement difficult. Sure, I could have pushed through the pain and gone ahead and dried my hair like I always do, but today, I let love take over. Practical love. 

We all have opportunities to show our love to each other in practical ways. Have you looked for a way to step in and bless someone you love? You never know when the opportunity will present itself and when it does, you have to be ready...listen for that little God whisper that says "why don't you _________ and show _______ your love for him/her right now? That little nudge may be all it takes to present love in a practical way and it will affect the recipient as much or more than it affects you, I promise!

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