he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5 NIV84)
Jake recently bought a motorcycle. It's pretty much all he talks about now. I don't really know anything about motorcycles, and I guess I end up making some sort of disapproving face when he starts jabbering (and I mean that in a loving way ;) ) on and on, even though I'm only aware of me smiling and nodding. He usually gives me a little half smile, kneads one of my shoulders and jokes, "You wanna hear more about the bike, baby? We can talk about all day if you want!" But really, if he wasn't excited about his new bike, I would be even more annoyed. And mad.
You see, I've been "squirreling" away money here and there and putting it in an envelope marked "Jake's Motorcycle Fund." For every birthday or special occasion or generous mother in law visit or photo session cash, I sacrificed just a little at a time and instead of buying whatever I had a wild hair about, I'd put the extra money away for him. Now, Jake already gives me just about everything I could ever need or want, so skipping a new pair of shoes when I already have over 40 wasn't really that big of a sacrifice. And of course, I didn't always put his motorcycle fund first. I still splurged on myself pretty often, which is obvious because I didn't have nearly enough saved up and Jake didn't even use his motorcycle fund to buy his motorcycle! That sweet thing told me to turn it into "Sabrina's Camera Fund." Which I promptly did.
The point is that I want him to appreciate my little sacrifice, but more than that, I want it to be worth something. The point of it all was to give him something he would enjoy. So if he didn't ride his bike at every opportunity, or spend time thinking and looking and talking about every kind of attachment that could possibly go on his bike, or not let our two year old get fingerprints on his freshly waxed fender, or even be so ridiculous as to record the rumbling sound of his bike and make me listen to it at least a dozen times; if he just let it sit in the garage and gather dust and be nonchalant about it, I'd be disappointed that I did all that work of "squirreling" for nothing. I really just want him to enjoy it. And it gives me joy to see it bring a little "boys and their toys" excitement to him.
And if I care so much about a fleeting, earthly pleasure for my silly, sweet husband, how much more does God care about our eternal joy? Jesus paid dearly for us to have peace: a monumental sacrifice compared to my measly twenty bucks here and there. How does He feel when I don't enjoy His gift? How does it make Him smile when I'm giddy about it? What joy does it bring Him when I can truly rest in what He did for me? What is His sacrifice worth to me?
And because every post is better with pictures, here's a peaceful little scene. I hope you're cherishing a quiet rest today!
I would have taken a picture of Jake's motorcycle, but it's not in the garage.
And that makes me so happy.
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