I Love You Anyway
The fear of rejection may be one of the most basic fears
of the human experience. Dr. Joe Harding tells a
heart-warming story of a man who finally decided to ask his
boss for a raise in salary. It was Friday. He told his wife
that morning what he was about to do, All day the man felt
nervous and apprehensive. Late in the afternoon he summoned
the courage to approach his employer. To his delight, the
boss agreed to a raise.
The man arrived home to a beautiful table set with their
best china. Candles were lighted. His wife had prepared a
festive meal. Immediately he figured that someone from the
office had tipped her off! Finding his wife in the kitchen,
he told her the good news. They embraced and kissed, then
sat down to a wonderful meal. Next to his plate the man
found a beautiful lettered note. It read: "Congratulations,
darling! I knew you'd get the raise! These things will tell
you how much I love you."
While on his way to the kitchen to get dessert he noticed
that a second card had fallen from her pocket. Picking it
off the floor, he read: "Don't worry about not getting the
raise! You deserve it anyway! These things will tell you how
much I love you."
Total acceptance! Total love. Her love for him was not
contingent upon his success at work. In fact, just the
opposite. If he were to fail there, if he were to be
rejected by his boss he'd be all the more accepted at home.
She stood behind him no matter what; softening the blows,
healing the wounds, believing in him, loving him. We can be
rejected by almost anyone if we're loved by one.
That's the way families can be with each other. And I like
to think that's the way God is with us, too! "We love
because he first loved us."
Author unknown. If anyone has a proprietary interest in this story please authenticate and I will be happy to credit, or remove, as the circumstances dictate.
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