One of the most important moments in a day is the moment of coming home. This is something you need to think carefully about because it tells you a lot about your relationship. 

When a husband comes home, the reaction he gets is amazingly important to him. I can remember coming home when my children were young. They were always happy to see me. I remember getting out of my car, tired from a day of work and a long commute, but knowing that when I walked in the door the children would be pleased to see me. I loved that feeling. Knowing that someone loved you, that someone wanted you to be at home, that someone was happy that you were at home, was a very good thing, indeed. 

So, what happens when your husband gets home? For too many people, there is no joy in it at all. You know he is coming home, so it is no big deal. You are doing something else and you do not really care that he is at home. Perhaps you are "updating your status" on Facebook or sending an e-mail to someone. Maybe you are watching television or folding laundry or doing something with a child. Suddenly, your husband is home. What do you do?

I know exactly what you do. You do whatever is most important to you. If you are on Facebook and you do not get up to greet and kiss him, then we know what is important to you. It's not your husband. If you are folding clothes and keep folding, or you are watching television and keep watching, then we know what is important to you. It's not your husband. 

If you even have to think about it, then something is badly wrong. When did Facebook become more important than the man you married? When did folding clothes become something more important than kissing your husband? But there are many families where the husband's arrival at home is not important at all, at least by the measure of their wives' reactions. 

Don't think he misses this truth. If I walk into my house and my wife stays at her computer, there is a little something that is taken out of my life. If this happens every day, it can mean a great deal. If coming home is not important, why should I hurry home? I wonder how many "workaholics" are men who are warmly welcomed when they get home. I wonder how many men who are warmly welcomed at home will spend time "having a drink" with guys after work. 

When I was a boy, there was one truth I knew every day. When my father came home, my mother was excited to see him. Whatever she was doing was over when he walked in the door. She would greet him with a smile and a kiss and, usually, they would sit down together in the kitchen and spend a little time together (with no children interrupting). Her cooking was planned so she could take a break with her husband. Her work was never as important as the man she loved. 

And my father always came home. Who would delay coming home with such a wonderful welcome awaiting him? 

When he walks in today, will he know that you love him by what you do? Will he know you are thrilled to see him? Will his heart be warmed by your response? Or will you tell him "hello" and keep Facebooking? Will you immediately dump all your complaints on him? 

If I were in your home today, what would I learn from watching him come home?


 



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