Marriage Refreshed
This past weekend my husband and I got the opportunity to go to a marriage conference. And of all places it was right on the outskirts of Yosemite. Beautiful! It was so refreshing and energizing to be there. Not only did we get time away from the chaos of life, but we were taking time to focus on the importance of our marriage relationship. The conference was awesome. We learned more about ourselves, discovered more about marriage, and connected through some great discussion time. But I think what was even more impacting than the information we acquired, was taking the time to do something intentional for us. Life gets crazy, schedules get busy, and priorities shift. But amidst whatever it is, we need to remember the most important things. And marriage is the most important relationship you have on this earth.
Think about the day you walked down the aisle and embarked on the journey of marriage. I bet you can remember the feeling of butterflies in your stomach mixed with excitement, energy and anticipation. That day is embedded into your memory. The person that stood before you that day is the same person with whom today you spend your hardest moments, your best moments, and your most challenging moments. Are those passionate and excited feelings and emotions still there? Maybe they are, which is awesome to live in your relationship that way. But maybe you have hit a rut. Life’s busy, you are tired, kids become your focus, and your spouse gets the leftovers of each day. Of course, every day is not going to be your wedding. Life changes a whole lot from that blissful day. But you don’t just want to coast through life and just let things happen around you. You can choose to wake up every day stoked to see what the day may bring you. Choose to be excited for life together.
As a couple, you can receive the gift of love, embrace the moment, and experience life to the fullest. And that is just it. Marriage is a gift. It is an experience. It is a journey. We aren’t supposed to have it all figured out, but we are in it together. On the way home my husband and I were thinking back to when we were single. We can’t even imagine life that way anymore. We are so thankful for each other. We are so thankful we can do life together. But do I show my love for him all the time? Do I make my husband feel encouraged, empowered, respected, and supported? Unfortunately, not all the time. I know there are many ways I can do better to live this out. Yes life gets busy and things become routine and normal, but life should not get in the way of the wife and woman of God I want to be. Don’t let the excitement and enjoyment of life with your bet friend be lost. The gift of marriage is anything but normal. It is extraordinary. It is remarkable. It is life changing. And it is the most wonderful thing you can ever experience. (To all you singles out there, the right person is worth waiting for. Don’t take my thoughts here and get bummed out that you are not complete until you have sometime to share life with. You need to continue to take life one day at a time and live life to the fullest right where you are, thats the best thing you can do. And someday, you will get to share your life with someone else.)
Marriages are meant to thrive. Marriage is meant to fill you up in new ways. Marriage is also meant to challenge you in new ways. Marriage is far from being easy. But it is worth every second. It will break you, mold you, and challenge you in ways you never thought possible. When you and your spouse are on the same team, you are fighting things together rather than fighting each other. Someone this weekend described it, “marriage is a conquered battlefield”. So yes there may be a battle, but the war to your hearts has been conquered by love. Love conquers all. So be your husband or your wife’s biggest fan. Encourage, empower, support, respect, love, and cherish. Life will pass way too quickly if you just let it happen around you. So take hold of love. Create new habits to show your spouse you love them and appreciate them. Live extravagantly. Show love. Embrace togetherness. Be one.
How do you show your spouse you love, respect, or cherish them? What is one area you can be intentional to show a little extra love? How can create that to be a habit in your routine of life?
