Loving Your Husband Well By Lisa JacobsonSampel

Day Four

Making Time for Love

Scripture: Song of Songs 1:1–4

Madly chopping and slicing, I never even looked up when he entered the kitchen. I felt frantic and stressed, knowing everyone was very hungry and I was very far behind in my dinner preparations. My intentions had been good, it’s only that I hadn’t anticipated that broken glass earlier in the afternoon. Nor the quarrel between the two children that soon followed. Then that last urgent phone call.

And that’s how he found me. Madly chopping and slicing. 

He came up behind me, slipping his strong arms around my waist, and leaned into me. I should have felt electricity, but mostly I felt annoyance. Irritation. He was slowing me down. 

I could immediately sense his disappointment. Could feel his arms drop. Without missing so much as a chop, I tried to explain as I kept prepping away. Explain about the day and all its stresses and frustrations. How behind I was in . . . well, in just about everything. I thought it might help him understand. 

He understood, all right. He understood that those carrots took precedence over him. That I was so busy and my tasks so important that I didn’t have a minute to acknowledge him. I couldn’t even be bothered to turn around. 

I told him I just wasn’t ready for love at that moment. 

Wasn’t ready for love?

Did that really come from my mouth? From my heart? The man needed his dinner, no doubt. But what did he need even more? A warm, welcoming wife. I was so worried about filling his stomach that it seemed I forgot about filling his heart. 

What if I’d done it different? What if I had dropped those carrots, swept the celery aside, turned around, clasped my hands around his neck, and leaned into him? 

Then he and I could have started a small kitchen fire. 

So what does a husband really need? He needs your eyes to light up when he enters the room. He needs to know how thrilled you are that he’s come home. How your heart leaps because you two are together again. 

He needs a warm, welcoming wife. 

So very warm that the two of you alone could start a small kitchen fire. 

When are you most likely to be distracted from your husband? How could you communicate to him how much you want to be warm and welcoming?