Setting Aside Selfish Desires

There will always be some in the land who are poor. That is why I am commanding you to share freely with the poor.

Deuteronomy 15:11

Sometimes a little story, apocryphal or true, can make a point that stays with us. So here’s one about a little boy that carries an underlying message for every couple.

Many years ago, a ten-year-old boy walked up to the counter of a soda shop and climbed onto a stool. He caught the eye of the waitress and asked, “How much is an ice cream sundae?”

“Fifty cents,” the waitress replied.

The boy reached into his pockets, pulled out a handful of change, and began counting. The waitress frowned impatiently. After all, she had other customers to wait on.

The boy squinted up at the waitress. “How much is a dish of plain ice cream?” he asked.

The waitress sighed and rolled her eyes. “Thirty-five cents,” she said with a note of irritation.

Again, the boy counted his coins. At last, he said, “I’ll have the plain ice cream please.” He put a quarter and two nickels on the counter. The waitress took the coins, brought the ice cream, and walked away. About ten minutes later, she returned and found the ice cream dish empty. The boy was gone. She picked up the empty dish—then swallowed hard.

There on the counter, next to the wet spot where the dish had been, were two nickels and five pennies. The boy had had enough for a sundae, but he had ordered plain ice cream so he could leave a tip.

What does this heartwarming story have to do with marriage? Like the little boy, no matter how small our resources may seem—in money, time, or energy—we have the opportunity to give to one another. We can carefully set aside our selfish desires, budgeting our time and energy to make sure we have enough for our spouses. And also like the boy, if we simply commit to doing it, regardless of the size of our resources or the treatment we are getting at the moment, we will make an impression.

Selfishness is that detestable vice which no one will forgive in others, and no one is without in himself.

—Henry Ward Beecher

From the book