Growing up with a Mom who was very ill by times, I knew that
kissing was something that wasn't going to happen much. But, as I remember it,
she did throw kisses. One winter day as I struggled to plant a spruce tree for
Mom in the lower garden, so that she could see it from her window… she threw me
a kiss. Our children growing up were taught to throw kisses to Grandmas, Aunts
and all sorts of relatives and friends, as we were leaving to return home. That
has been a tradition still carried on by our own children and grandchildren, as
with many families I am sure. There is a meaning to every kiss thrown.
First and foremost it should always mean to show love. I
remember someone telling me that when a kiss was thrown to a favourite member
of their family, they always made the motion of catching it and putting it in
their pocket. This signified that it was important and could be retrieved, enabling
them to relive the joy of the kiss over and over again, until that person
returned for another visit.
Second, the thrown kiss may show caring thoughtfulness. In
ministry especially the joke is that a pastor’s spouse will throw a kiss to
signify that perhaps people are getting anxious and the sermon or Bible study
is getting a bit too long! It is always done subtly, but does tell us
something; there is a balance needed and time elements of delivery may not
align with everyone’s attention span… especially if it is a difficult topic.
Even though Karen has joked about it, she never once in the 27 years of sermons
has thrown me a kiss. Of course she is biased! LOL But there may have been
times when she looked quietly at her watch to remind me that a Bible study was
going a bit over, even though I was deep in contextual explanations.
I have to chuckle at the times that it has been mentioned in
various contexts by different folks on very different occasions. I had a rather
“intentionally direct” member of a congregation add subtlety to his bag of
tricks, when he set his watch alarm to go off at the sharp top of the hour. I
let him go on for some time thinking that someone would ask him to turn it off
previous to the service, but no one ever did. So, I boldly asked him one day,
“Why the alarm?” He smiled and said calmly, “It is just a gentle reminder that
the service time is up!” Our family laughed about that for years, but the truth
was that something was being said in that alarm. It was the “Kiss” principle.
Keep it short stupid!
Now my wife would disagree with that always being the take
on the “kiss” principle. She would sometime interpret it as, “keep it simple
sweetie”, especially if I ranged into the more technical side of a Bible Study
on the theology of the Paul in Romans for an example. So, what am I saying this
morning? Does the “Kiss” principle have a good reason to be put into practice?
Well,… yes. Now there, I have conceded a point that I have not always wanted to
give up on in my life. My mind will lead me down paths of recollection and
philosophy that sometimes can overwhelm the most avid of readers. (I use caution here to not use the term reader, not follower, for to follow me is an error; make sure you are followers of Christ.) I have been
known to be overly verbose at times. I do try to be reasonably to the point,
but sometimes though, I admit that I just let my thoughts flow.
In India, I have a few times been challenged to keep it
short. It has not always been a simple task and the request was received so that someone who was there for the first time, might have
opportunity to speak first. I often felt like I was getting the leftovers, as
schedules need to be strictly kept and time then ran short for me to lecture
properly. You have to understand the culture there and their sense of timing. LOL. But, I was being asked to make the lecture shorter as a way of
accommodating other’s needs. During those times I sometimes tried to
evaluate my reason for going all that distance and what it is that God was
trying to accomplish through me, if I was not allowed the time to do a good job
at teaching, with both depth and Spiritual challenge. A friend there told me that it was because I
could accomplish the task no matter the time allotted and I didn't need not follow a
script… it flowed from God’s presence, after years of the faithful study and
practice. I think he was overdoing it, but the challenge is always before me.
It is when I am spiritually challenged that God picks up the pieces and carries
me through the work. My job is to present the facts, the subtleties of the Word
and help others to better understand the dynamics of faith… in total dependence
on Him, not encumbered with the worries of time and schedule.
You see, the team perhaps felt that I was one of the
faithful sureties. They knew that I was there each year and could do the task
at hand. That is the way God works. He enables those He sends, who suddenly feel
unsure; He equips them for the tasks at hand, no matter the trials along the
way. It is never easy to face the challenges, when expectations are not met, or
cast off self-doubt when we feel less than equal to the task, after hours of
preparation and then be confronted perhaps, as the parameters change. God is in the down moments, as well
as the peaks of joy and satisfaction we find in the victories. Get ready for
the “Kisses” that may come in life… they will come!
Finally the thrown kiss may have a level of threat. My heart
sinks when I know that many use this form of what should always be loving and
kind gesture, for something else. Now-a-days there may be other gestures thrown
in there, but nothing good ever comes of the emotions that provoke these
responses toward another person. I often wonder if it wasn't very similar with
Judas, when he signified who Jesus was to the guards, when they came to arrest
him before his trial and death. Even though he would have directly kissed
Jesus on the cheek, perhaps it would have been that same emotion, that same disdain, which drives people to react with such thoughtlessness.
So today I have a question for those who have made it this
far. Do you feel that you need to throw me a “Kiss”? No, I don’t mean the mean and nasty .. lol… although
if that is how you fell, I don’t mind getting feedback from readers no matter
the context. I have had some good stuff, along with a few not so gentle
criticisms in my day… all in a life’s work I say. While I may take the high
road and continue to follow what God is leading me to do, I can perhaps add
more of my life’s experiences, talk about my many travels (Oh my… I have had lots!)
and try to do a better job blending in the meaning of life, in Christ, through
those experiences (if you feel that I am falling down there). My plan though, is
to continue to write from the edge. I have no desire to take the easy path…
that would be just plain out of context for me and I don’t want to let my kids
down…LOL... they are too used to me being off the wall, out to lunch, and as my
oldest daughter lovingly puts it, “Dad you are such a freak!”
So come back and connect with the challenges, the fun I poke
at collections of life’s experiences, trials, and disappointments, but most of all
the joys, as we walk toward God’s blessing, while living near the edge. Not
comfortable at this point? Hey, it is always in how you define the view from
there! Blessings for your day and always!
