The Eight-Cow Heart #RTTBROS #Nightlight

RTTBROS

The Eight-Cow Heart #RTTBROS #Nightlight

The Eight-Cow Heart #RTTBROS #Nightlight

The Eight-Cow Heart: When Love Transforms Worth

"We love him, because he first loved us." - 1 John 4:19 (KJV)

There's an old story that has stuck with me for years, one that cuts right to the heart of what it means to truly honor the people we love. It comes from a tale called "Johnny Lingo's Eight-Cow Wife," and every time I think about it, I'm reminded of just how powerful our love can be in transforming another person's life.The story goes like this: On a small Pacific island, there lived a young man named Johnny Lingo who was known throughout the region as a shrewd trader and successful businessman. When it came time for Johnny to choose a wife, everyone expected him to marry the most beautiful woman on the island. Instead, he chose Sarita, a plain, skinny, shy girl who kept her head down and barely spoke above a whisper.Now, on this island, it was customary for a man to pay the bride's father a dowry in cows. Most wives went for two or three cows, maybe four if she was particularly attractive or came from a good family. A five-cow wife was considered exceptional. But when Johnny Lingo approached Sarita's father, he offered something that left the entire village speechless: eight cows.Eight cows! People thought Johnny had lost his mind. Why would anyone pay such an extraordinary price for such an ordinary girl?Years later, a visitor to the island met Johnny and his wife, and he couldn't believe his eyes. Sarita had been transformed into one of the most beautiful, confident, graceful women he had ever seen. Her shoulders were straight, her chin held high, and there was a sparkle in her eyes that seemed to light up the entire room. When the visitor asked Johnny about his unusual choice, Johnny smiled and said something profound: "I wanted an eight-cow wife, and when I paid eight cows for her, she became one."You see, Johnny understood something that too many of us miss in our relationships. He knew that when you treat someone as invaluable, they begin to see themselves that way. When you love someone as if they're worth eight cows, they start carrying themselves like an eight-cow person.This reminds me of how God loves us. Scripture tells us "we love him, because he first loved us." Before we were lovable, before we had anything to offer, before we even knew we needed Him, God looked at us and said, "You're worth my Son." He paid the ultimate price, not eight cows, but the life of Jesus Christ, to demonstrate our value in His eyes.And just like Sarita, when we truly understand how much God values us, it changes everything about how we see ourselves and how we move through this world.But here's where it gets personal for all of us: How many cows do the people in your life feel they're worth?When your spouse makes a mistake, do they feel like they're worth eight cows to you, or do your words and actions make them feel like damaged goods? When your children struggle or fail, do they walk away from conversations with you feeling treasured and valued, or do they feel like they need to earn your love and approval?I've been married long enough to know that it's easy to start treating the people closest to us like we got them at a discount. We get comfortable, we take them for granted, and before we know it, we're making them feel like two-cow people when God designed them to be eight-cow treasures.I think about all the times in my own life when I've been too quick with criticism and too slow with affirmation. Too focused on what needed fixing and not focused enough on what was already beautiful. I've learned, too soon old and too late smart, as they say, that people tend to become what we consistently tell them they are.If you want to see transformation in your relationships, start treating the people you love like they're worth eight cows.

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