A Quick Weekend Away

We haven't gotten away just the two of us for nearly 5 years. It was time. It had been time. Just the two of us often gets moved to the back burner, opting to have family time, or entertain friends.

It's easy to take for granted the gift you wake up to daily and come home to night after night. It occurred to me this weekend that I may have allowed that attitude to slip in. Not completely but definitely in part.

Marriage is a lot like hiking I suppose. The terrain can be rocky, rooted, and steep. We can't control every circumstance we may encounter, though we'd like to. Life tosses us some pretty fast curve balls. Obviously, being unified and leaning into one another can make a thunderstorm more like a light rain. But I think what can make marriage sweeter still is gratitude.

I suppose I could be feeling more retrospective and thankful because Thanksgiving is upon us. Unfortunately, gratitude isn't always my first response. Especially, in marriage. Why not? I'd have to guess because it's our daily routine.

Routine leads to depleted thanks. Making something common leads to decreased gratitude. Sadly marriage and certainly a godly marriage like ours has grown less and less common. The enemy has launched a full on attack on marriages. That's not new news. The number of marriages that stay married has been on rapid decline for decades.

According to US Census 37% of marriages ended in divorce in 2019. That number climbing even higher in second or third time marriages. According to the University of Connecticut, Christians who attend church regularly have a divorce rate of 38%.

A healthy marriage. A godly marriage. A marriage that is still a marriage. Seems a bit less common after all. Doesn't it?

Here's a great question to help you stir up our gratitude: Why did God choose us for each other?

John loves me like no other could. For so long I imagined it was only because my past didn't cloud His vision of me. What a lie! God chose Him for me to show His own love for me, just as God chose me for Him. Our marriage is meant to refine me, John too.

Marriage good times or the bad is for my good. That is something to be grateful for. Thank God He cares about more than just my comfort, He cares about my growth.

Hope this stirs your gratitude. It's such a precious gift. It combats the enemies tactics and captures the wonder of God's heart.