A Rich and Wonderful Life

My in-laws loved each other. Though it was not always obvious when you were are around them. It was easier to guess that they drove each other crazy. “Carol are you smoking again?” “Leonard, why don’t you just stop that.” Now that Leonard is gone, Carol misses him tremendously. Isn’t that just like life? Only afterwards, did she realize that they had a rich and wonderful life.

Cherish One Another

Instead of cherishing one another, we are often critical. It is my guess that we all have longed to see our moms hold our dads’ hand and to hear her say things like, “How did I get so lucky to have found you?” To see her stroke his hair and hear her say, “And, how did we get such incredible children?” To see the two of them sit down for a meal together and hear these words, “Oh, we had such fun, didn’t we? You have given me a rich and wonderful life.” 

Maybe your parents never said those things. Perhaps, their life together told a different story. They often lost patience with each other. They prioritized their complaints over their compliments. 

Clearly, we all need to be more charitable. Do we offer compliments easily? Or, do we think, “Maybe I will embarrass my children if I speak openly of my love for my wife?” The truth is likely that our words will be a gift. 

Public Praise

Public praise is an act of love. The psalms exhort us, again and again, to publicly praise God. Psalm 34:3 says, “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.” 

If we want to be the sons and daughters of God, we must express our love of God, but also of each other. “If a man says, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?” (1 John 4: 20, KJV). We can best express our love toward God by demonstrating love to those we can see. 

We should easily say to all whom will listen “I love him” or “I love her.” Let the word “love” come out of your mouth often. Even if you don’t feel it, speak the words anyway… and they will change your heart.

Also, see Don’t Fast-forward Through Life.

Copyright © 2023 Chuck Locklear