The
busyness, stress, expectations, demands, and requirements from every direction
in life often rob us of intimacy in our marriage. We take each other for
granted, making little effort to communicate and have fun together, and the
relationship suffers.
Nourishing
each other is as important as keeping our car tuned up, our garden watered, and
our porch free of ice. If we do not tend to these matters, someone gets hurt;
but when we realize our mistake, we can make the effort to draw back toward
each other.
Togetherness
is vitally important: Watching a special movie or an important football game together,
eating together at the table without the TV and conversing about the day and
our concerns and triumphs, taking a stroll through the neighborhood, sitting on
the porch to watch the sunset, grocery shopping, ministering in the same
ministry, sharing a date night, riding bikes, enjoying leisurely vacations,
finding a show on TV that we will both enjoy, etc.
Committing
to our marriage covenant and to sharing our life with one another helps to
strengthen our connection. We prefer one another in areas in which we differ,
taking turns to make the plans and sharing these moments together.
The
most important commitment, however, is our passion for the Kingdom of God and
being continually led by His Spirit. As a couple, we can read the same books
and talk about what inspires us, discuss interesting Bible verses that we read
in our devotion time, minister together in our community, etc. The
possibilities are limitless.
Prayer:
Father
God, help us to hear Your Spirit's direction before we marry anyone. We know
that this is not a guarantee that we will not end up being divorced, but You will
see us through any tragedy and meet all of our needs. If we look to our spouse
to fulfill us, we end up disillusioned and disappointed.
Teach
us not to allow busyness to rob us of our intimacy, and to make plans to have
fun together as we grow together in our union and love for each other. Remind
us to seek You and Your Kingdom together and to share in each other's life. As
we make You our first priority, we learn to make our spouse our second
priority, and we allow everything else to fit in place behind these two vital
relationships.
Thought
for the Day:
If
we share in each other's interests, we double our exposure to potential
enjoyment as we cement our love for one another, because starting all over
again in another relationship disposes of our shared history, disrupts the
lives of our whole family, has the potential to ruin us financially, robs us of
our roots, and opens the door for more unhappiness with this new person.
