"On a busy morning, a nurse in the crowded emergency room seated an elderly gentleman who had come to have stitches removed from his hand. He said, 'I'm in a hurry, nurse. I have an appointment in an hour.' As the line of patients ahead of him moved slowly he kept looking anxiously at his watch. Knowing he'd never make his appointment, the nurse led him to an examination room, checked his vital signs and evaluated the condition of his wound. Seeing it was well-healed, she consulted with one of the doctors and got clearance to remove his sutures and re-dress his wound. She asked, 'are you hurrying to another doctor's appointment?' He said, 'no, I'm on my way to have breakfast with my wife at the nursing home.' She asked about his wife's health and learned she was a victim of Alzheimer's disease. 'Will she be upset if you're late?' The old man told her she hadn't recognized him in five years. Surprised, the nurse asked, 'And you still go to see her every morning, although she doesn't know who you are?' The old man smiled, patted her hand and replied, 'Oh, yes. She doesn't know who I am, but I still know who she is!'"
This is the most beautiful story I've ever read, and it came from one of my morning devotionals. The man's love for his wife is truly touching and it reminds me of the true meaning of love. When this man said, "I do," he probably didn't anticipate his wife being unable to recognize and love him as she did when she said, "I do." But real love requires commitment as much as it does care and affection, so the fact that he hasn't given up on her, even when she can't reciprocate it, is a testament to the love that he has for her. Most of us love for what we can get, but real love is complete in itself and is able to love for the sake of loving. It loves because to love is to live.
Can you love for better or for worse? Are you willing to love in those tough times, in those times when it'd be easier to cut your losses and move on?
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