That Kind of Love

Sometimes you meet someone and they make an immediate impression on you. A couple of years ago I met one of those people. His name is Buddy Tharp.

It was Christmastime 2005. I was in the process of transitioning into a new position at the church where I serve. One of my new responsibilities was to coordinate the ushers and greeters for the annual regional Christmas event that our church sponsors.

As I was completing preparations in our check-in room for the volunteers who were just beginning to arrive to work the event, in walked a man I had not yet met. I had seen him at church before but we had never been introduced. I walked over and introduced myself. “Nice to meet you” he said. “I’m Buddy Tharp. I’ve not been able to help the past couple of years because my wife has been sick but she passed away earlier this year”. As I listened intently, Buddy detailed the exact number of years, months and days that he and his beloved wife would have been married had she been with us that day. In that moment, I knew I wanted to be Buddy’s friend. Because that’s the kind of husband I want to be, that’s the kind of marriage I want to have.

Here’s the Point: Isn’t that the kind of love you want to have? Don’t you want your marriage to be like that? By the way, Tonya and I’ve been married for 9 years, 7 months and 7 days. What about you? One more thing, if you'd like to meet my friend, Buddy, I'd be glad to introduce you.