52 First Dates: Week Twenty-Three

Hey y'all,
I am so excited about these dates.  Have I told you lately how passionate I am about seeing your marriages improve?  How blessed I am to know that you are striving to not only maintain, but grow this most important relationship in your life?  Yes, I am excited for you.  For your spouse, for your children, and for the testimony that your marriage is.

I am excited!

So how was your date last week?  Who did you bless with the testimony of your marriage?  How did it bless you?

We had a couple of college kids over this week for dinner.  I had planned on making a big fun dinner for the family, but really wanted to have others over to bless them as well.  So that became our date night.  Opening up our home, blessing others with a meal, digging into their lives, exposing our marriage and family life as the kids run a muck, and we revealed our humanity.

What a great reminder that our marriages are not just about us.  There are people in the world craving to see healthy marriages.  Craving to see constructive compromise.  Craving to see hope.

Wow!

So what about this week?  Are you ready for a super challenge?

This one's hard for me.  For as long as I can remember, my husband has desired for us to pray together on a consistent basis.  There's something very intimate and very deep about praying with your spouse.  And yet, for the past nine years, we have still not make it a consistent part of our married life together.

We have our phases where we recommit to praying together, but somehow it always fizzles out.  Work schedules get in the way or children need to be taken care of.  And while that's all a reality of life, we struggle to making praying together a priority.

So your challenge this week is to pray together at least 3-4 times this week.  Spend some time honestly sharing with each other what your true struggles are.  And then bring them up in prayer together.  Right then.  Don't say, "I'll be praying for you."  Rather do it in the moment.  Right there.

If this seems strange to you, take a prayer walk together.  Put on your walking shoes and walk the neighborhood as you share your hearts with each other.

And if for whatever reason, praying isn't for you, if your beliefs about God prevent you from participating, spend some time with your spouse sharing about your current struggles. Commit to keeping each other accountable.  Commit to supporting each other to the best of your abilities.  Commit to hearing the heart behind the circumstances.