Busyness
is the enemy of good relationships. We overly schedule our time and have no resources
for what is really important - family. Loneliness is common even in marriage.
We marry for companionship, only to allow life's busyness to exclude time for
each other.
We
enroll the kids in all sorts of extra-curricular activities and sit in the
stands - not talking, just watching - while they interact with their friends.
We bring our work home with us or vegetate in front of the TV and take no time
to chat, share our heart, laugh or have fun together.
It
takes a lifetime to figure out what is important in life, such as: entering
God's rest, letting go of shame, resisting Satan's lies, building bridges
rather than walls, praying without ceasing, showing compassion for our self and
others, and finding that third alternative when we disagree.
Pride
always goes before the fall (Proverbs 16:18). It prevents needed communication,
puts others on the defensive, erects walls between us, and etches away at our
intimacy with one another. Open, compassionate communication will tear down
those walls.
Finding
a balance between responsibilities and relationships is worth the effort.
Simplifying our commitments helps to free up our time and energy for each
other. Maintaining a partnership in life, rather than a completion, is key for
love to flourish.
A
life of constant motion wears us out; so taking time to rest in the Lord and to
snuggle those we love is rejuvenating to our body and soul, as well as theirs.
Praying together to seek God's will in every decision, and playing and laughing
together make life worthwhile.
Prayer:
Father
God, help us to search out Your perspective on life and to marry a person that
shares that concept. Open doors for us to minister together, and remind us to
make time for each other as a couple. Remind us that as we value, appreciate
and cherish one another, we seek our mate's benefit as well as our own. Help us
to give our spouse freedom to make their own goals, even if they do not include
us, or if we disagree with them.
Help
us to make each other a priority every day. Give us ideas on how to care for
each other's individual needs. Remind us to take time to connect, chat, and
nurture one another through his/her feelings and fears, priorities and goals.
Remind us to make You the focal point in our life together, and to seek You
together in every decision and goal (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Thought
for the Day:
Couple
time ideas:
Pray
together, and seek God's will for every decision.
Go
out to dinner.
Chat
over ice cream or coffee.
Make
a lunch date.
Snuggle
on the couch and talk.
Go
on a leisurely walk around the neighborhood.
Ride
bikes.
Hike
a nature trail and notice life all around you.
Watch
the sunset from the back porch.
Sit
down and really talk as a couple -Talk about your biggest dreams together;
share your wildest dreams, hopes and desires.
Find
a ministry outreach to do together: teach a class, work in a soup kitchen,
volunteer at a church thrift store, pass out blankets to the homeless.
Start
a savings account to take a vacation together every year.
Support
each other, even when you disagree.
Send
a text or email and tell your mate what you love about him/her.
