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Here are some of my favorite quotes from this chapter:
- … the world has substituted tolerance for grace. pg. 67
- And so we've refashioned marriage to be self-serving, not self-sacrificing. pg. 70
What are my kids learning from my marriage? They are always watching me and learning from me. So, what are they learning?
God's intention for marriage is oneness (or unity) and sacrifice. Marriage is supposed to be a picture or example of our relationship with God.
Our church just happened to have done a week on marriage in the series that we are currently in. It's a great message… Take a look:
Can't see the video in your email or RSS reader?
Rachael mentions the idea of not being just passive partners, but active allies. I loved this. Josh and I have to not just being wandering in the same relative direction; we have to be actively working together and re-charting our course. This means that we have to be spending intentional time together.
A funny story… Josh has always opened doors for me and filled my car with gas. He learned this from his dad and has modeled it for our boys. Jonathan, at not quite five years old, completely understands that it is appropriate to open doors for Mommy. He rushes to open my car door before Daddy can get there to do it. He thinks it's a game right now, but we pray that as he grows and matures, this will become a lifestyle and way of treating women.
Our biggest struggle right now is juggling work, kids, and time for us. Josh has a “longish” commute and works a later shift two days every other week. I'm at home with the boys all day, most of the time without a vehicle right now, and trying to come up with ways to meet our next baby step to becoming debt free, which is paying off Josh's student loan. Add to that, we live thousands and thousands of miles from family. We don't have extra income for date nights or getaways. Our friends either have little ones like us or are running older children around and have little free time. We do our best with quiet time together in the evenings after the kids have gone to bed.
I'd love to hear suggestions from others who are in this stage of life or have passed through it. How did you handle it?
Ready? It's your turn! What stood out to you in this chapter? What are you doing to enrich your marriage? Share your thoughts, insights, and answers to any questions from the end of the chapter. Leave a comment and/or join the link up.
