“Hey, where do you want to eat today?”
He stared at her intently, hoping for an answer this time.
She looked at his face, then down, sheepish. A hundred thoughts raced through her mind. Sushi had been on her mind all day—some delicious ramen, perhaps? And for dessert, a perfect slice of key lime pie. Pasta wouldn’t be a bad choice either. In fact, it had been a while since she’d enjoyed a good Italian meal. Her mouth watered at the thought of everything she craved.
She glanced at him—her husband—wanting to make him happy.
“Whatever you want,” she said softly. “I’m okay with anything.”
Internally, he sighed. Why had he expected a different answer this time, even he didn’t know.
“Alright,” he said, “Biriyani it is… again.”
And they both went home from dinner, disappointed.
“Hey, what do you want for your birthday?”
He tried to hide his eagerness, hoping she’d share something this time.
She hesitated, thoughts of the red dress, the new phone to replace her cracked one, and the book she’d been dying to read flooding her mind. But then, almost as quickly, she pushed them aside. She didn’t want to seem selfish.
“I don’t really need anything,” she murmured. “Whatever you get me is fine.”
He forced a smile, masking his own disappointment. Later, when he handed her the gift, she smiled back, both of them pretending it was perfect.
“Hey, where do you want to go for the holidays?”
His eyes seemed to beg for an answer, and as she met his gaze, she longed to tell him.
So many places came to mind—coffee estates in Coorg, the beaches of Goa, a houseboat in Kerala. Any of these would bring her so much joy. But then she thought about the cost, how much he’d have to spend. It wouldn’t be worth it, she decided. It was best to let him choose—he always knew best.
“Whatever you want,” she said again. “I’m okay with anything.”
All she wanted was to please him, to trust his decisions.
But his heart broke. He longed to hear her desires, to know them. He wanted her to say what was on her heart because he was willing to give her all that and more—if only she’d ask.
You see, she thought she was being selfless. Her answers were always, “Thy will be done.”
But he wanted to scream, “Ask, and you will receive.”
She had missed the point—that even Jesus, before saying, “Not My will but Yours be done,” had first told His Father what He desired.
And without her ‘Ask and you will receive’, the ‘Thy will be done’ had become an excuse to shy away from intimacy.
