How Do You Say I Love You?

There are times when I like to do something special to let my wife know how much I love her. I might give her a gift, take her out to eat, or I might give her some flowers. My wife really likes it when I give her flowers.

Flowers or a gift is a nice way to show someone that you love them, but do you know what is even better? It is better to show our love for someone by the nice things that we do for them each and every day. When someone is sick, a visit from a friend might do them more good than a dose of medicine. When someone is sad or having a bad day, a smile and a friendly "hello" would surely brighten their day. Have you ever seen someone sitting all alone at school who doesn't seem to have very many friends? If you sat down and talked to them, it just might make them feel as if someone cares about them. A simple act of kindness can say a lot more than a gift.

Jesus was always kind and helpful to the people he met. One day he was in the home of Simon Peter. Peter's mother-in-law was sick in bed with a fever. Jesus went into the room where she was and took her by the hand and helped her out of bed. When Jesus touched her, the fever left her immediately. Later that evening people brought everyone who was sick and those who were demon-possessed so that Jesus could heal them. The Bible says that the whole town was gathered around outside the door. Jesus healed the sick and drove out evil spirits. Jesus showed his love by caring for those who needed his healing touch.

The next time you want to let someone know how much you care for them, remember that we show others we care, not just by sending flowers and gifts, but by showing acts of kindness each and every day -- just like Jesus did.

Dear Jesus, you showed us how to love. May we follow your example and show our love by acts of kindness toward others. Amen.