Love & Marriage

So Jason and I went to a A Weekend To Remember put on by Family Life.  It was AMAZING!!!  If you ever have the opportunity- GO!!!  MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!  In fact I pray that every couple will seriously consider going to a weekend.  They have them all over the United States.  Hey they even have a cruise if you can spare the time and money. 

You see this handsome man?  He's all mine!  He is MY GIFT.  We have been married almost 18 years and those years have many many happy memories!  As with all marriages though....there are struggles.  Being real sometimes there are in depth struggles.  Sometimes there are extended times of just plain hard.

 Add in moves, new jobs, children, activities, home schooling, church, serving, and so much that can get into your way!  Things from your past creep into your life and explode into all the areas of your life.  Those things that drew you to your spouse are the same things that drive a wedge between you. 

 Then throw in a huge dash of good old fashioned selfishness on both sides, and you have a classic case of - UGH!  This is getting complicated and hard.  Those struggles can feel as though they are coming faster and more often. 

Hang in there and DON'T GIVE UP!  You know this is just ridiculously hard and yet it seems as though no one else is really talking about that part of marriage.  No one wants to stand up and say hey our marriage is struggling.  So I want to say it out loud.  It's ok!  Really go ahead. 

Think of it as a roller coaster ride.  Jason and I both have a huge love for rides as is obvious from our weekly trips to the theme parks.  You get in the seat so excited to blast off.  Along the way there are many highs and many lows.  Drops, twists, turns, flips and all at lightning speed. 

I don't think God intended for our lives or our marriages to be easy.  If they were then the flowers in that first picture that Jason bought for me - just because- would not be as sweet.  Those moments when God is moving your marriage forward and teaching you both how to love more deeply with more care for the other person.

Oh let's be honest marriage is hard work and requires 100% from each person.  Not the junk you typically see in our culture which is simply ridiculous.  It requires for us to move past ourselves, work on our issues and talk.  Better yet seek God with all that we are and go deeper than just talking.  We need to really listen, really interact, and be very patient. 

This miracle boy has taught me so much about patience.  So much about what it means to keep going, keep struggling, and keep learning.  I have so much more to learn!  We have so much more to learn.  You see it isn't actually about changing the other person, but about growing in how we treat each other.  How we show our love and respect.  Most importantly how we grow in God!

 I am going to continue to cheer you on in your marriages because I have seen literally miracles happen in our marriage.  I have seen how God can use simple steps to really change our perspectives.  I will be sharing some of those shifts with you. 

Of course keep in mind that as you are growing there are many many growing pains.  That patience that I mentioned is because you will both mess up, a lot.  So you have to really be in control of that feeling to throw in the towel or just say whatever.  Put one foot in front of the other. 

Oh yes it is required to get a little crazy.  I mean come on you can't be normal because it really doesn't exist.  So put your pride aside and leave it there.  Humble yourself, lower your voice, and create a safe environment for conversations.  Silly ones and serious ones because we can't just be stuck in the hard all the time. 

Pray for me as I will be helping volunteer the next couple of weeks at camp with our Emerge (Jr & Sr high ministries at our church).  I am thrilled as I really love working with the youth and I really miss camp.  I love sharing Jesus with them and getting to be a part of building God's Kingdom. 

Of course you know what that means right?  That means that Jason will be on his own the first week with Abigail and then Sarah on down.  The second week with everyone but Abigail and I.  So that is huge and he will be needing prayers too! 

So it may be a couple of weeks, but I will be back and hopefully sharing more of what God has been speaking into our marriage through Jason and I.  Until then be encouraged because I always say if God can work through me then He can work through anyone!