Yesterday, during our morning meeting, I finally took a moment to look at our new coffee table. We had gotten it in the mail a few days before, but I was too busy to really look at it, which was strange because we spent way too much time picking out the perfect one. I had found one from Ethan Allen that I loved but it was really expensive. We ended up hunting around for one that looked similar, but didn’t carry the large price tag. We found this one online at Ballard, and it seemed perfect, but buying online is always a risk since you can’t see true colors or feel the quality of the product.

As I studied the table, ran my fingers over the top, and admired the grain in the wood, I said to Jacob, “I love this table!” He responded, “Yeah. It’s nice.” I kept admiring, “No, like, I really like it. I like it more than the Ethan Allen table!” He smiled. “Yeah, but you’re like that. You have the ability to love something just because it’s yours.” My first instinct was to be offended: What is that supposed to mean? Is he saying I’m wishy-washy? And just as I was about to respond with a, “Not true!” he said, “And I love that about you.”

I realized it was a compliment, not a stab, and maybe there’s something to that. Love is a choice, so it makes sense that I should love what I have chosen. So often people desire something or someone simply because its not theirs. You want what you can’t have. What if we wanted what we already have? It seems simple, but apparently it’s easier said than done.

Too many times marriages and families are torn apart because one person decided they wanted something different, something “more”. I wish more of us would make the choice to desire the person we have already chosen. I wish we would make the choice to love the one we chose.

Jacob, I chose you, because I love you. And I will continue to love you because I chose you.

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