My wife was getting ready to leave, and, as is her habit, gave me a kiss goodbye. Then she took care of the chaos from the kids and corralled her parade of bags and filled her water, among other such preambles to being able to walk out the door. Forgetting that she kissed me goodbye already, she kissed me again. Amused at all the kissing, I pointed out that she had already kissed me goodbye. So, she kissed me a third time!

What was a routine kiss and absent-minded habit became a beautiful moment of real love, plus I got three kisses. That third kiss was not a going-through-the-motions moment. It was actual fondness, affection and joy. I truly felt loved, and we both had a good laugh. 

Sometimes our faith can be like a kiss as we’re going out the door; it can become routine. There's goodness there. Living our faith in such a way that it is a given, a matter of fact, means we have balance. But we aren’t supposed to stay there. Our faith is meant to ever grow, and that happens when we pay attention and act. 

Stepping outside of our comfort zone is not unlike a third kiss to God. When we see that we have become complacent with our faith, and we take the opportunity to give a little extra, we are showing real love to the Lord. This growth can take many forms. We can engage in a new ministry – like build a house with Habitat for Humanity or start attending that Bible study we’ve been meaning to get around to. There is always a place for a cheerful voice in the Choir during the Traditional service. We might begin the practice of doing daily devotions (which is THE most important practice we do.) There are many ways we can act to take our faith to a deeper, more meaningful level.

Today is always the best time to start, but presently we are in the season of Lent, which is ever the time to start. Lent is the season that we give ourselves to God. To give extra to Him, not to earn more but because we love Him. Because in Him is the abundant love and life of Christ. When we do so it’s like giving God a third kiss –  we all feel love and joy. 

I hope that your faith isn’t taken for granted; if you would like to know more, like maybe start a practice of daily devotion through Lent, send me an email and I will share some resources with you. 

rritzmann@christelca.org