Tip #2: Greet Each Other with Excitement & Priority

Whenever you come together after a day of work (or whatever you are busy doing), make sure you first give each other at least a few moments of special attention.  

When David and I were dating, I ran out to greet him every time he showed up at my house...and I mean RAN. I wanted him to feel important and valued.  I wanted him to know I was excited to see him. As time passed and we got married, I am ashamed to say David began coming home to me sitting on the couch watching TV or on the computer. On most occasions, if I am honest, I wouldn't even turn it off.  At some point, David told me how much he missed me running out to greet him.  I didn’t even realize how much it meant to him while I was doing it.  

Once we became aware of how important it was, we again made it a priority to stop what we were doing and greet each other with a hug and a kiss.  Then we had kids. Without even realizing it, we, once again, stopped making each other a priority, but this time, it wasn’t the TV or computer that got our first attention- it was our boys. It wasn’t that we totally stopped greeting each other, we would just go to our boys first, then come to each other.  However, recently a friend of ours, Carla, and her family came to our house for dinner.  During the evening, we talked about little marriage tips that helped us along the way.  She shared with us that someone had advised them to make sure they made each other a priority-even over their kids.  

David and I both realized we had it backward. Don’t get me wrong; obviously, we still want our kids to feel important and loved, just not more important than each other.  This is one habit I think is particularly easy to slip into because of the overwhelming love God gives us for our kids.  But we must not forget our first love. (Ok, Jesus is our first love, but you see what I am saying here.) I strongly believe that one of the best parenting decisions we can make for our kids is to exemplify a healthy marriage.  Not greeting each other first is by no means a sign that our marriage is unhealthy.  On the other hand, greeting each other first is a sign to our kids that we are still thrilled to be with one another, and that, in my opinion, is a great gift to them.  

So whether you have kids or not, make it a habit to not let the things of this world, or even your kids, get in the way of making your spouse feel like the most important person on earth EVERY time you get the great honor of seeing them again.  Remember,  every moment is a gift. Take advantage of it.  

Prayer: You are Good! Thank you again for the miracle of marriage!  I pray that David and I never forget the first excitement we had for one another and that we are intentional about making each other aware that we still have that same excitement. I pray that also for those who read this post. Amen!