Marriage
is a fluid lifestyle with both individuals changing through the stages of life.
We may grow apart, or become more like one another. The happy medium between
these two is to accept each other as we are, to embrace our differences, and to
make each other our priority in life.
Over
the years we let down our guard, remove the masks we used to wear, and get more
comfortable with one another. This puts us in the position to accept each
other's vulnerabilities and to rely on the other's strengths.
We
learn to be more comfortable with our fears and insecurities and to share them
with each other. This enables us to have more compassion for our mate, and to
help protect them and to support them as life's trials assault us.
We
grow more comfortable with our self, and we have more confidence to request
changes in our relationship that will bring us more comfort and assurance. We
learn to reconcile our differences and to resolve conflicts through compromise.
All
humans are both gifted and imperfect. As we embrace these characteristics in
each other, they stop irritating us. We give one another the space to find our
own balance, to enjoy independence, and to pursue our own interests.
This
increases our intimacy during our increasingly frequent times of togetherness.
We learn from one another, rejoice when our mate rejoices, and show genuine
concern when our partner experiences difficulties or loss. Our love and care
grow.
Praying
together about our concerns helps us to embrace the opportunity to walk together
through our trials. We grow individually and as a couple in our spirit and
soul. Our unity with God increases and we plan our days under the guidance of
His Holy Spirit.
Prayer:
Father
God, even when our life appears to be falling apart, You still cause the sun to
rise, the stars to shine, the earth to maintain its precise orbit to sustain
life, the grass to flourish before it withers and dies, and a miracle to come
from every trial. We want to start each new chapter in our life under Your
guidance and care.
Thank
You for using our trials to make us stronger, to increase our faith and to draw
us closer to each other and to You. Shine Your light through our relationship,
so that other people will glorify You. When they see us trust in You with a positive
attitude and Godly behavior in spite of our unbearable circumstances, they will
gain the courage to trust You in their issues too (Matthew 5:16).
Thought
for the Day:
God's
Agape love takes our focus off our self-centered perspective, and enables us to
see a need in others, and to lay our life down for them as Christ did for us
(Galatians 5:14); as we serve even those whom we feel no natural affection
toward, our love for them grows and our intimacy increases.
