Thoughtless Thankfulness (say that 10 times!)

So this morning I had a random feeling of overwhelming thankfulness for my wife (Sara).  And yeah...I know that shouldn't be such a random thing, but I can be thoughtless with the best (worst?) of them.  Anyway, I try to struggle against the idea of setting her up as an idol, but she definitely impacts my life more than any other single person.  And I guess that makes sense!  I love my kids and extended family deeply, but all of that is eclipsed by what I feel for Sara.

But why?  It may be a trivial question...but here it is...why are we thankful for the people that surround us?  Or more importantly, why do we love the people we love?  It's easy to focus on how someone looks, or what they do for us, or whatever...but most of that is really tied to narcissism, right? 

Saw this recently in the book Untamed (which you shouldn't read unless you want regular kicks in the gut in a good way)...a quote from Susan Hope...she's talking about what went down during Jesus' baptism:

This is the start of the public ministry, the kick-start to all that follows.  And it is kick-started with a word, not about the mission, but about being a son, and being greatly beloved.  And not only greatly beloved, but greatly delighted in - "with you I am well pleased" - carrying not so much the meaning "I'm pleased with you (because you've done a good job/obeyed me/you've met my demands)" as, "You delight me; I enjoy you; I like what I see."

  One of the things I've told Sara over the years is that I love her because I said I would.  And while it should be obvious, I'll clarify that this is NOT the most romantic thing I've ever said.  But to me it's the essence of marriage and family.  We choose to love (not just stay with) the stunning, the ugly, the perfect, the flawed, the selfless, and even the destructive people that surround us based on a promise.  We choose to delight in THEM and not what they do for us. 

So I'm completely thankful for the fact that Sara is amazingly beautiful...that she pours herself into me and our kids every day...that she puts up with me dragging her to things that she'd rather skip (or into this blog).  But I love her...I delight in her because she is mine as I am hers...because she is.

Now if we could only apply that idea...not just to our spouses, but to everyone around us.  How awesome would that be?

That is all...go look at something else now...