DAY'12'
May'I'Serve'You?'For&years&I’ve&heard&the&phrase&that&marriage&is&a&50/50&proposition.&But&the&question&is,&who&
gets&to&decide&when&one&spouse&has&hit&the&halfway&mark?&Author&and&marriage&expert&Dennis&
Rainey¬es:&“It&is&impossible&to&determine&if&your&spouse&has&met&you&halfway&because&
neither&of&you&can&agree&on&where&‘halfway’&is,&each&is&left&to&scrutinize&the&other’s&
performance&from&his&or&her&own&jaded&perspective.”^12 &
Carley&and&Dan&are&a&couple&who&have&gone&the&extra&mile...¬&to&go&the&extra&mile.&They&
constantly&keep&score&as&to&who&put&a&new&bar&of&soap&in&the&shower&last&or&who&refilled&the&
toilet&paper&roll&last&or&who&opened&the&new&tube&of&toothpaste&last.&“It’s&sort&of&a&contest&to&
see&who&can&use&the&smallest&sliver&of&soap&or&use&the&last&drop&of&toothpaste,”&Carley&boasted.&
The&contest,&as&silly&as&it&may&seem,&boils&down&to&who&is&going&to&serve&the&other.&Imagine&how&
adored&Dan&would&feel&if&Carley&began&to&get&out&a&new&bar&of&soap&before&the&sliver&war&began&
or&replenished&the&toilet&paper&before&it&was&totally&out.&
If&you&want&to&try&a&contest&in&your&home,&how&about&seeing&who&can&out&serve&the&other!&The&
apostle&Paul&encouraged&us:&
Don’t%just%pretend%that%you%love%others.%Really%love%them.%Hate%what%is%wrong.%Stand%on%
the%side%of%good.%Love%each%other%with%genuine%affection%and%take%delight%in%honoring%
each%other&(Romans&12:9S10&NLV).&When&Jesus&washed&the&disciples’&feet&(John&13:1S17),&it&wasn’t&simply&an&act&of&kindness.&He&
was&actually&fulfilling&a&need&that&the&others&had&refused&to&meet.&It&was&customary&in&those&
days&for&the&host&of&a&dinner&party&to&have&a&servant&wash&the&guests’&feet.&There&were&no&
Reeboks&or&Nikes&in&those&days.&Men&and&women&wore&leather&sandals&as&they&walked&the&
dusty,&often&muddy,&roads&of&the&Holy&Land.&Nothing&felt&better&than&to&sink&calloused&throbbing&
feet&into&a&cool&basin&of&water&and&rinse&away&the&cares&of&the&day.&However,&at&Jesus’&last&
(^12) Dennis Rainey, Lonely Husbands, Lonely Wives (renamed Staying Close), (Dallas: Word, 1989), p. 31.