Gifts Of Love

Gifts of Love

Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.

Romans 12:10

November is wedding season for the Amish. This means that sometimes Thanksgiving celebrations are combined with wedding celebrations. Amish weddings are traditionally held on Tuesdays or Thursdays from late October through December. They are joyful community events.

My friend, Amish author Beth Wiseman, shares more about Amish weddings:

Don’t expect to see a three- or four-tiered, decorated wedding cake at an Old Order Amish wedding—or a groom’s cake, for that matter. However, there is an abundant offering of eatable goodies for the bride and groom in lieu of our English tradition.

Following the wedding ceremony in the bride’s home, the new couple will take their place at the eck (tables that form an ‘L’ in the corner of the room), along with their family and attendants. After the meal, guests will present the bride and groom with various gifts, mostly food. This might be a single cake, perhaps a favorite of the groom’s. Or it could be a lovely decorative container filled with cookies, maybe the bride’s favorite. . . . Whatever the gifts might be, they are given to the bride and groom as a token of love and remembrance of some special event or knowledge that they share.

Have you taken time lately to get together with friends? You could share a special memory with someone you care about. Show your affection by making a special dessert. Write a note of care, or spend time with someone you love over a cup of tea.

“I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other,” we read in John 13:34. When we love others, we bring delight to them and to God. We also reflect to the world what God followers look like. As family and friends spend time together, we can get and give a glimpse of what heaven will be like.

Dear heavenly Father, I’m thankful that You give us a glimpse of what an eternity filled with love looks like. Help me to love others more deeply.