Oh the things that we stumble onto when we are cleaning out. A couple of weeks ago I was going through some old books when I came across a grocery store coupon that was inside one of them. All I can figure is that at some point in time, when I was reading it, I must have needed a book mark and grabbed this coupon to use.
The coupon is for Imperial margarine and is redeemable for 7 cents. No that is not a mistake – 7 cents. Of course I should add that the expiration date on the coupon is December 31, 1973. When sharing this story with my oldest son, he responded with “7 cents – why bother?” And that is an easy question to understand – in 2017. But in 1973, 7 cents was worth something and actually made a difference in your grocery shopping budget. The coupon had value that today we would dismiss as pretty worthless.
I wonder how many of us have taken a view of our spouse as though he or she were an old 7 cent coupon? They had great value to us when we married them in 1973 – or 1950, 2005, or whatever year you walked down the aisle. But in today’s relational economy we may not view, talk to, or treat our spouse as though they have the same value that they did when we first encountered them. And if we don’t treat him or her like they have value, for all intents and purposes, for us, they don’t have.
Jesus states, “Where your treasure is there your heart will be also,” Matthew 6:21. Unlike the 7 cent coupon, the value of our spouse did not expire in 1973, even though we may act as though it did. My hope this week is that you will reconsider the great value of your husband or wife and will be intentional about loving them accordingly – just as you once did.