You’ll hear my husband say that kissing is the key that opens the door that starts the engine that makes the car run. And that’s why in pre-marital counseling we encourage engaged couples to refrain from it until their wedding day. But after they are married, it’s a different story completely. Why? Because kissing is the key that opens the door that starts the engine that makes the car run!

Do you spend much time only kissing? Do you have prolonged periods of just kissing? Do you always kiss whenever you take leave from each other? Do you kiss whenever you are reunited? Do you kiss for no apparent reason? Do you kiss for any and every reason? Do you peck on the cheek? Do you give quick kisses on the lips? Do you get a little or significantly more intimate than that?

Next to having sex, kissing is one of the most intimate acts between a husband and wife. Not the obligatory peck on the cheek I mentioned above, but the significantly more intimate kind. The tongue-dancing kind when your kids shout, “Ewwww! Gross!” and run from the room. It’s a sign of affection reserved only for your spouse. It’s comforting. It’s provocative. It can sometimes (okay, often) communicate more effectively than words. You have to be in close proximity to your spouse to do it, especially for any length of time.

When was the last time you sat on the couch together and spent time only kissing? Have your kids ever run from the room shouting “ewwww”? Do you desire this kind of intimacy with your spouse? If not, why not? And if you do, then why aren’t you grabbing the keys whenever you can?

Because it starts the car, kissing usually drives it into the bedroom, but it doesn’t have to. It could simply take you on a delightful Sunday afternoon drive. Try it . . . and enjoy where the car takes you.