Daily Devotional

I loved our new apartment!  As newlyweds, we were so delighted with our new apartment.  Yes, it was humble, with thread-bare carpet, but we were grateful for it.  We were poor and grateful for our humble apartment! I remember our furniture was either handmade, or second hand. Decorations were scarce and simple. Nevertheless, our apartment was a happy place because we were together.

Across the street was one of the most fancy, expensive restaurants in the area. My husband and I could only dream of the delectable dishes offered in that restaurant. We certainly did not have money or the correct attire to go to such a fancy place.  The entrance/exit was right in front of our apartment’s view.  At the entrance the guests boarded a cable car that took them down the hill to the restaurant on the river’s edge.  At times we gazed out our big window that looked down on the people all dressed up coming and going.  Late in the night, loud noise drew us back to our window to witness people exiting the restaurant. The loud, rowdy and sometimes tipsy people walked to their cars after a night of partying. It surprised me to hear people come out of that beautiful restaurant arguing with each other!  The wonderful dinner in such a gorgeous setting did not insure happiness!
  
Jim and I would sit across from each other eating our simple meal—no regrets! We would much rather be in our simple apartment than a fancy restaurant! Our happiness did not lie in fancy clothes or delectable meals. Our love was more than enough!

PARENTS:

• Talk to your kids about the value of love.  Explain Proverbs 15:17
• Ask your kids: is fancy food more important than love? 
• Explain to your kids that you cook for them, do their laundry, with love.
• Love is a feeling, yes, but love is an action too! It shows how much you value/love them!
• Remind them that Jesus showed how much He loves us, by dying on the cross to pay for our sins!

New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation