One of the things I pray for my son is that his wife will be attentive to him. I pray that his bride would be attentive to his needs and desires. She should want to live her life in such a way that would bring him pleasure and happiness. I am not asking that she be subservient in any way; please don’t misunderstand me. I don’t want to sound chauvinistic or degrading to woman in anyway. I am not implying that his wife be barefoot, pregnant and stuck in a kitchen doing all the cooking and cleaning. But I am asking that his bride, out of her love for him, would seek to serve and make him happy, paying careful attention to even little details. God is looking for the same thing. He is looking for a bride who knows what His Son’s needs are, who knows what makes Him happy and who is willing to do them.
One of the many things I love about Sarah is her attention to detail. She can see and appreciate the big picture, but it’s her attention to the little details that sets her apart. Even things that seem insignificant to some are really important to her.
While we were dating I was pastoring a church in Coral Gables. We were a small congregation and rented building space from another church. As a result our service times were later than the church were she was serving. After her service, her family would get together for Sunday lunch, and being the “boyfriend”, I was invited. The only problem was that I would not be arriving until after they had all eaten. Sarah told me she would save a plate for me and I thought nothing else about it. When I arrived at her house, she had not only saved a plate for me, but she herself had not eaten lunch, instead waiting for me to arrive so that we could have lunch together. I would have had no problem eating by myself, but her attention to that filled my heart.
Even after being married her attention to not only my needs but the needs of other does not go unnoticed. A few months ago a friend of our lost her brother very unexpectedly. It was a very difficult time for her and the family. There is never a good time for the passing of a loved one, but the timing of his passing coincided with her birthday. Our friend decided that she would not be celebrating her birthday that year.
Now if you know Sarah, birthdays are a big event. Our family will celebrate a birthday week, so the news that she would not be celebrating this year did not sit well with Sarah. That week, Sarah made an effort to make our friend feel extra special. Each day that week, Sarah would, anonymously, drop a gift on her doorstep. She even filled her mailbox with packets of “M&M’s”. On the very last day of the week, she left a very special gift, a charm bracelet. That evening Sarah also made dinner for her and her family. As we went to deliver the meal which she had prepared, I couldn’t help but notice all the detail she had put into it. Sarah had placed everything inside a beautifully decorated basket. In the basket, along with dinner, were plates, utensils (not plastic ware) drinking glasses, beverages, and even dessert. No detail went unnoticed. When we arrived at their home, tears filled our friend’s eyes. She shared with us how much it meant to receive something everyday. She shared how special it made her feel and how those little things ministered to her.
That’s the kind of bride God is looking for His Son to have, a bride who notices the needs of others and places them above her own. He seeks a bride whose desire is to please her husband even in the little things. When the bride of Christ, the church, can be attentive to those details and joyfully fulfill those desires, we gain access and favor from God. It’s all about the little things.
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