Extravagant Love

My husband is a giver. Now don't get me wrong... I enjoy giving, too, but I usually consider the cost first. I guess you'd call me a 'practical' giver. But not my husband... no, he is an extravagant giver. It's not that he lavishes us with expensive gifts. I have never received a car with a big red bow for Christmas or pricey jewelry for my birthday, although there is no doubt he'd give it if we could afford it. In fact, we live modestly and keep most celebrations low key, preferring to celebrate with special meals, time spent together and simple, but thoughtful gifts.

However, there have been several occasions when my sweet man comes home with a bag of new clothes for me, just because he loves to do it. He's been known to arrive at the door after being out of town for work with special surprises for the girls, and I'm not talking about candy. Just this week, he came home from a trip the day before Valentine's Day with pastel-colored roses, heart-shaped balloons, and a gift card for each of the girls, and a dozen red roses and a gift certificate for me. Of course, the girls and I were all smiles and hugs, but I had to refrain from tallying the money spent in my head. All I had to give him was a bag of cherry cordial Hershey kisses... something of a treat, but certainly nothing extravagant.

This past Christmas, he actually began to fret about the gifts he had bought for us. Understand that my husband is not a "fretter". But as he laid out our gifts on the bed to wrap them, he called out to me, "I need to do some more shopping; this just isn't enough!" Even though in his head he knew that he was giving good gifts, his heart wanted it to be so much more. Again, I was tempted to think, "It will blow our Christmas budget!" but instead I reminded myself that it is just an expression of his love... an extravagant love.

And it's not just gifts he gives. He is always willing to give of himself, whether it is lending a hand to family or friends, serving at the church, or using his skills and knowledge to help others. He does it willingly, not out of a sense of obligation, and he does it cheerfully without complaining.

I know that some may think, "So what? That isn't what I'd call extravagant!" And I understand what they mean in terms of money spent or the number of gifts given. But what I am trying to describe is my husband's ability to love and his desire to show his love... the generosity of his heart. I compare it to my Heavenly Father's love for me... His desire to give exceedingly, abundantly more than I want or need.

We once had a minister friend who was exhorting a few of the church leaders by pointing out the spiritual gifts he saw in each of them. When he came to my husband, his eyes welled up with tears as he said, "Now this guy... he just has such a great capacity to love!" Yep, that's my guy!