Recently, I heard a joke. A lot of times, when hearing things like this, I just let it pass through one ear and out the other. This one made me think, and I wanted to share it with you and let you know what it meant to me personally.
An old man and his wife of 50 years are driving through town in their old beat up pickup truck when they are stopped by a red light. The wife looks out the window and notices a young couple in a convertible next to them. The young lady is sitting almost in the drivers lap. He has his arm around her and they seem very much in love. The older lady looked at the space on the seat between her and her husband, lets out a sigh, and says," Do you remember when we used to sit that close?" The old man looks at her, and then looks at the steering wheel and responds simply," I haven't moved."
If you're like me, you are probably thinking that it isn't a very funny joke. It's cute but there isn't much funny about it. When you think about it is actually kind of sad. We all remember those times when we were so in love that we couldn't get any closer to that special someone. We wanted to be with them every second of every day and we just had to touch them. We had to hold their hand or walk with arms around each other in a constant embrace. Almost vulgar public displays of affection were nothing more than a beautiful way of expressing your love to the world. They were great times. The euphoric feelings of new love create memories that last a lifetime. That feeling never seems to last though. In fact, scientifically the "new love" produces chemicals in your body that make that intense passion possible, but the levels return to normal usually inside of 36 months.
When that wears away, what are you left with? You become those two old people at opposite ends of the truck seat. I am not by any means saying there is anything wrong with that. There is a lot that has gone into building relationships that last through the years, and God willing my wife and I will be one of them (if she doesn't kill me first). It did however make me take a look at my own relationships and reevaluate what is going on. I found that in many of my relationships I have become complacent and have scooted to the other end of the seat.
The first is my relationship with my wife. She is a great woman. She longs for that new love feel to come back into our relationship. I can remember when it was common for her to fall asleep with her head on my chest. Now when she lays her head down I notice that I can get a little annoyed because I'm hot or uncomfortable or whatever. Little things like that never used to matter because it was worth it to get the privilege of being close to someone so great. I will try to be better about that. I am like the little old lady gazing out the window of the truck. It is time for me to scoot over next to the driver again not just for me, but because she deserves it.
The second relationship I looked at was the one with my kids. I have two girls aged ten and two. They are my life. But as the ten year old get older, every day she gets more independent and wants to do her own things. She is still a daddy's girl but I can see it happening more and more. In this relation ship I feel more like the old man driving but instead of driving an old truck it's like I'm driving a bus. Sometimes she sits close to me, sometimes she sits far away, and sometimes she gets off completely and walks. All I can do is tell her that she is my route and I will be driving the bus for as long as I am living. She will always have a seat.
The third and in my opinion the most important relationship I looked at was my relationship with God. I was raised in a Christian environment and when I was a teenager accepted Christ as my savior. In the beginning, it was like a new relationship. I wanted to tell everyone and spent lots of time reading the bible and going to church. I was an active member of my youth group and Sunday school class. After a while I started hanging with different crowds and slowly got out of church activities all together. I was like the little old lady who had gone to the other side of the seat. I eventually noticed it and got right back next to God. Eventually I slipped away again. This time I would say that even though I didn't get out of the truck I did stick my head out of the window. I was in a dangerous place and God in his own way reached out and pulled me close again. He saved my life. Reflecting on the joke I have realized I am falling into the same pattern again. I am going to scoot back over to God. He is like the old man. He hasn't gone anywhere. We are the ones who are moving away from him.
I hope this joke will help put your relationships in perspective as they did mine. Get closer to the ones you love and that love you. They may not always be there. With the exception of God, tomorrow may be your last opportunity to show them that you love them. Don't regret not doing that little extra to make someone happy. Tomorrow may also be your last day to make things right with God as well. So take the time right now to just let him know that you love him because I promise being next to them on the seat is much better than separation in any way. God bless you.
Steven is a self proclaimed right wing Christian extremist. He is a former Marine and currently work in the laboratory of a cancer research and treatment facility. He is the father of two little girls and is referred to as genius by his wife (mostly as a sarcastic term of endearment!)
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