Greet one another with a kiss of love
1 Peter 5:14
Usually when you meet someone for the first time you go to great lengths to make a good impression. I know I did when I went on my first date with my husband. I wasn’t about to go meet him looking like I had just woken up or just left the gym. I always thought about the first impression I would make on someone. It was important to me. In my family, you always greeted people warmly and with great hospitality.
I remember when my husband met my parents, particularly my father for the first time. I made sure I told him he needed to make a good impression. I was the baby of the family and not just anyone would do. I knew that. It was a big deal for me to introduce him to my dad. I knew in my heart that this was the man God had sent to me and that my dad needed to meet him. My dad was in failing health and little did we know that several months later, he would be brought up to heaven. My then boyfriend, now husband, greeted my dad with respect and my dad immediately welcomed him, giving him ‘the’ handshake. It was some kind of man code, that my dad approved. In that short time, my husband would bring over a silly video fishing game over to play with my dad since he could no longer go out on a boat and fish like he used to love. My dad loved it and laughed like crazy. It is a memory that both of us treasure. We also talk alot about how my always joking dad ribbed me over how I made sauteed mushrooms. My husband loved it. I loved it. Not because I like being joked around with, but because the two men I loved more than anything in the world were bonded. If only my dad had made it the six months to our wedding day.
And you know what started it all?
A first impression.
My dad was a great judge of character. I trusted his opinion. And he was right. He was the right one for me. He still is the right one for me. My husband had made a good impression.
Of course, then life started happening. Things started to change. I know when my husband and I were in the valley, I didn’t greet him enthusiastically. I was no longer concerned with making a good impressions and neither was he. In fact, I am not sure we greeted each other at all. After awhile, I likened us to roommates. We shared the same space, but rarely ever talked or interacted, like we used to. It was sad. It was not us. It was not our marriage.
It didn’t happen overnight. It happened gradually. When you take for granted that communication will always be there and always be easy, things are bound to happen. When your spouse greets you and you’re too tired or stressed to even mutter a hello, cracks begin to form. It’s sometimes the little things that begin to add up and then all of a sudden, they’re not so little anymore.
When my husband and I began to seek God’s face again, together, we realized all of the little things that had added to our time spent traveling to and during our stay in the valley. It’s really hard to look at your relationship from an objective point of view, without the hurt and pain that you might have been through. It’s essential. God will give you a fresh set of eyes to see what needs fixing and He will be there to guide you through.
What kind of impression are you making on your spouse? How would you like to be greeted?
Today’s dare.
Think of a specific way you’d like to greet your spouse today. Do it with a smile and with enthusiasm. Then determine to change your greeting to reflect your love for them.
At the end of the day, answer these questions:
1. When and where did you choose to do your special greeting?
2.How will you change your greeting from this point on?
Congratulations! You have completed Day 9! Tomorrow’s dare is Love is unconditional.
