LESSONS
FROM A VACUUM CLEANER

Topics: Help; Husbands; Love; Marriage; Servanthood; Wives

References: Acts 20:35; Ephesians 5:25; 1 Peter 3:7; 1 John 3:16

I learned some lessons about vacuuming one day. First, I learned that our cat is terrified of vacuum cleaners. That kept me entertained for about an hour.

As I vacuumed in one direction, a stripe would appear. Going the opposite direction would create a stripe of a different shade. Entranced, I striped the whole room. Then I went crossways, creating a checkerboard pattern. I got so carried away that I dusted the furniture and straightened the entire house.

I was embedded in the easy chair, working on a crossword puzzle, when my wife, Diane, came home from work. She struggled through the door with a bag of groceries under each arm, kicked the door shut with one foot, then took in the house with an expert glance. Her mouth dropped open. Slowly the bags slipped from her grasp and dropped to the floor. “Who did this?” she asked.

“I did,” I said. Without warning, she attacked. Diving on me before I could get out of the chair, she smothered me with kisses and hugs. The kisses grew more passionate. We broke the chair. It was wonderful!

The vacuum cleaner taught me an important lesson that day: Love is expressed with more than just words.

—Ken Davis, Lighten Up! (Zondervan, 2000)