There are several milestones in every marriage. Sometimes, we weather these storms together with patience and persistence; but at other times, we allow the tempests to pull us apart. We permit disagreements and a growing divergence in goals and life purpose to drive a deep wedge between us.
We often take each other for granted, and we allow the little “foxes” to spoil the vine of our connection to one another (Song of Solomon 2:15-17). We grow to resent each other, lose interest in our mate, have hobbies and pursuits that take us away from each other for longer and longer periods of time, so that we neglect our relationship. We give up on each other, and we start to plan a life apart.
However, if we stay true to our commitment to each other, our longevity brings more love and appreciation for one another than we ever thought possible. We pray together and follow God’s Spirit’s direction in one accord.
As we remain faithful to our commitment to each other, we start to reap the blessings of a life well-spent together. Our compassion, appreciation, enjoyment, and shared sacrifices for one another increase over the years as we are willing to put each other first. We pray together and make mutually satisfying choices for our marriage.
We are not mortal enemies, or competitors, but members of one team. We are not jealous of the other’s successes, nor are we threatened by their interests that are outside of those we maintain together. We start appreciating the times that we do share, and we find enjoyment in doing the little things together like planning menus and grocery shopping, spending time together at home: cooking, sharing chores, watching favorite TV shows together, etc.
Eye contact is a very nurturing habit. When we look at each other as we communicate, we pay better attention, and we let our mate know that we value them and really care about their feelings and thoughts. This helps us to remember what is important to each other too, and to show that we value each other in our life.
Prayer:
Father God, remind us that it does not matter who makes the most money, because we share it, making decisions about how to spend it as a couple. Help us to really care and readily apologize when we use words or actions that wound one another. We may explain why we said or did a certain thing, but we take responsibility for how we handled the situation.
Teach us that paying attention to our mate when he/she is talking to us is vitally important. Watching TV, scrolling the internet, answering emails, etc. when our mate is attempting to communicate with us is rude. Help us to put down our phone, mute the TV, or close our computer when our partner feels the need to share something with us. Help us to make a habit of praying together and walking in Your plans for us instead of our own.
Thought for the Day:
Making time to chat about trivial issues that interest our mate, to discuss daily news, to strategize about finances or issues with the children or our home, to share our concerns, to pray together and to share Biblical concepts that interest one another or both of us allows us to bond spiritually, emotionally and intellectually.
