This past year we took our daughter, our last child, to college and as I began to prepare myself for the big day I began to wonder what it was going to be like as “empty nesters”. I knew it was going to be different. I thought about how Susan and I would have more time together, fewer distractions, just the two of us at dinner… I quickly realized that I needed to make some changes. I cared too little about what she was doing, and too much about what I was doing. I looked for ways to avoid sharing what my plans were for the day in case she wanted me to change them. I was good about helping around the house with dishes, laundry, ironing, paying the bills, and taking care of the yard, but the truth was I wasn’t always happy about it. In short, I realized I wasn’t being a great husband and if it was going to be just the two of us, I better get to work, NOW!!! I began to invest in her. What she wanted to do was more important than what I wanted to do. I wanted her to know about my day so we could plan time together. We started to date again and I began to see her in a whole new way. I was falling in love all over again.
I realized that I was getting what I was giving. If I cared more about her, she cared more about me, or if I did the laundry, because I loved her, then she made the bed in the morning because she loved me. It’s the same in life and work. If we show people love and respect, they show us love and respect. If we speak well of our pastor, then volunteers speak well of us, and our pastor speaks well of us. If we come in early, our teachers are more likely to come in early. So decide how you want to be treated and treat those around you in the same way.
