What God has Joined, Let No One Separate
A dad in a parenting class once said, “As soon as the kids came on the scene, I slipped down a notch on my wife’s radar screen. The dog and I now compete for second place.” His wife poked him the ribs with her elbow and frowned as the other parents at the table laughed.
Unfortunately, it’s reality for many couples. The baby comes along and parents are joyful but exhausted. Days are filled with baby care, pushing the husband-wife relationship onto the back burner.
This month we’re looking at friendships. There is a hierarchy in the relationship realm. God comes first. Your spouse is next, and then the children. They joined your marriage!
I remember when my eldest arrived. There were days when I felt a tremendous sense of accomplishment for simply getting a shower in and my teeth brushed. The little guy’s needs came first because he couldn’t care for himself. I was so tired by the end of the day, all I really wanted to do was sleep. I knew I’d be up in a few house to nurse him.
Fabulous marriage counsel came from…my dad. He was not one for giving unsolicited advice, so when he did make a suggestion after Ryan was born we listened, “It’s good for you to be together, just the two of you.” His advice was to go out, once a week, as a couple. I remember he and my mom did the same thing when I was a kid.
He was right. Our dating throughout the twenty-three years we’ve been married has been good for our relationship and a lot of fun. Have we scheduled a date every week? No, but we both would know when we needed to get back on track with time for the two of us. Sometimes we’d do lunch. Other times would be dinner and a movie. A walk, a drive around the lake, Raspberry Chocolate Chip ice cream at Sebastian Joe’s all count as time alone together to talk, laugh, and reconnect as best friends.
Take the time to nurture the friendship you have with your spouse. Find time to be together and remember why you chose one another as best friends!
“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator
made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh.
Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
Matthew 19:4-6
© 2013 Becky Danielson. All rights reserved.
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Photo by Drew Coffman on Unsplash