Getting to Know You ~ by Shirley Corder

The King and I

A few days ago, my husband Rob and I went to watch a DVD showing of the famous musical, the King and I. Despite having seen it several times before, we loved the opportunity to watch it again with a group of friends. 

This musical premiered at Broadway's St. James Theater in March, 1951, and ran for nearly three years. It was the fourth longest running Broadway musical in history at that time.

The plot covers the experiences of Anna, a British schoolteacher who is hired by the King of Siam as part of his plan to modernize his country. Throughout the story, we watched a love/hate relationship develop between the two. One of the best-known songs out of the musical's amazing repertoire is "Getting to Know You!" (Click here to listen to this lovely song, either because you don't know it, or because you do and need to hear it once more!)

My husband and I

Just under 50 years ago, Rob and I got married. We had spent five years getting to know one another—or so we thought. The ceremony took about 30 minutes and we went from being single to being married.  But it wasn't long before we realized that our relationship had a long way to go. As we look back over the years, we see many ups (and many downs) as we grew in our relationship and love for one another. 

Often today, someone will ask Rob a question, and I know exactly what he's going to say! During the years we have learned to put the other person first (most of the time!) and to enjoy one another's company even when we're doing mundane tasks. We try to avoid doing anything that will make our partner unhappy. We want to be together, and we miss each other when we're apart. 

God and I

Is this not true of our relationship with the Lord as well? One day, we're doing our own thing, and then the next we make a decision to follow Him. Our lives are transformed, we think, and we'll never turn our backs on Him. Yet this relationship too is a growing one. He knows us completely, but we will spend the rest of our lives "getting to know" Him. We try to always put His wishes first. We seek to please Him and not do things which will bring dishonor to Him. And if we drift away from Him, we miss our relationship and long to return and spend time with Him once more.

And so as we head into the new month of June, I challenge you to spend time "Getting to know You! Getting to know all about You!" At least we don't need to follow the next line of that song, "Getting to like you, Getting to hope You like me!" He loves us so much. It's our love that needs constant attention.

I'd love to hear from you.

Which area of "getting to know you" do you find the most difficult? Do you have any suggestions that will help people who struggle with "getting to know you"? Please share with us in the comment section below.

SHIRLEY CORDER lives on the coast of South Africa with her husband, Rob. She has recently embarked on a series of eBooks titled, Out of the Shadow.
Available now:Naomi, Beloved Mother-in-Law  Eve, Mother of AllMiriam Part 1, Devoted Sister
Please visit Shirley through ShirleyCorder.com, where she encourages writers, or at  RiseAndSoar.com, where she encourages those in the cancer valley. You can also meet with her on Twitter or FaceBook.

Strength Renewed: Meditations for your Journey through Breast Cancer contains 90 meditations for those facing cancer.