Thursday, August 16, 2012

Rest. Day Five. Gratitude.

"I'd love to hear how you balance your marriage and keep it healthy.."
so said a few of you when I last asked about blog topics.

I have to admit, I snorted a laugh on this one. Marriage advice? Really? To write about marriage I'd actually have to THINK about my marriage and sad to say, I really don't do that very much.

Most often, I am caught up in surviving, managing the children, and just making it through the day.  My husband gets what's leftover, maybe, if there is anything.  And he's surviving too, living out his vocation as pastor and daddy.

If it were on my shoulders to plan some sort of marriage maintenance event, it would never happen. The logistics involved for me to get away, even for a night, are overwhelming.  I'd rather just stay home, and keep doing what I am doing, rather than do the work required to "find a sub."

He has to make me get away. He's always had to force me to relax, even in college, when he taught me that it was OK to walk away from the books for the sake of fun, of him, of us.

He took the initiative, and put our vacation on the calendar with all the authority of a Man. I submitted, packed, and planned for our time away.

We don't shrug off our vocations. I am still mommy, and his is still pastor, and daddy.
But we are husband and wife, too, and the time we spend living as Lover and the Beloved is good for us both.
We fill each other up, as God intended.



How good it is to be loved by a man who seeks my good.

Father, when chaos returns to our lives, keep us grateful for the gift you have given us in each other. Continue to grow us up in You and in fervent love for one another.  In Jesus, Amen.

3 comments:

  1. A gentle reminder to relax is sometimes the hardest to accept....been enjoying these posts a lot this week! Nice series!

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  2. I love this!! My husband and I are the same way we hardly ever take time for just us. I also only give him what is leftover of me after a long day of raisi four four children, running my two direct sales businesses, cooking, and cleaning. I too do not like putting in the work to find a babysitter and definitely do not like paying the pretty penny it costs for four kids to have a sitter especially over night!! I am so glad that I went back through my comments on The TT Diaries and found your link. I liked your blog as well

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  3. I love your honesty! When my daughters were younger it was so hard and our marriage suffered for it. Now that they are teenagers it is easier for us to make time for eachother. Date nights are my favorite! But I'm not bragging, notice how I said it's easier to "make time". While the kids are independent and healthy and don't need sitters it's still easy to get caught up in all the other areas of our lives (work, managing the home, ministry, writing etc). We have to be intentional about taking care of eachother. It's the only way we've made it to our 19 year anniversary. I keep the Lord first and when I forget to take care of my husband He gently reminds me that I am my husband's crown and I need to make time for him. I'm so grateful for a merciful God who wants my marriage to succeed. Praying for deeper connections and a new found excitement for each of us.

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