Hey Covenant Groupies,
You know, love is such a soul captivating thing; emotion. As I mentioned yesterday, Kevin and I had a really great weekend. On Sunday, we watched "The Notebook." I had seen it before and he had only seen the beginning. So, we settled in to watching the film.
What I love about watching movies with Kevin is his filmmakers eye sees everything; from each characters perspective. He's never prejudiced against the woman or the villian; he's so open and willing to explore every aspect of the film.
So, needless to say, we enjoyed "The Notebook."
It was the end of the film and his reaction surprised me though. I don't want to ruin the end of the film for those of you who haven't seen the movie, but the longtime lovers actually transition together; in their sleep. Yes, it was beautiful.
As I looked to ask Kevin his thoughts, he was quiet and had a little lump in his throat. After inquiring, he said, that that was how it needed to happen for us; to die together. I had heard him say this in jest before, but this time it was different. He was so sentimental.
We discussed how we could not function without one another on earth; at least we can't humanly imagine it.
I don't believe that God created souls to be interterwined; mated, if you will, as husband and wife and ever, in any way shape or form, had us come together for us to ever see ourselves without one another. How are souls brought together by God ever imagined separated, EVER?
I have no fears in life, none at all, except to live this earthly life without this man I was truly created to be with and vice versa.
Can you ever se yourself without your spouse, EVER?
Showing posts with label spiritual intimacy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spiritual intimacy. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Blending Two Spiritual Lives
Hey Covenant Groupies,
Often we spend time with friends and discover that, in their relationship, it's lacking in the intimacy department. Not sexual intimacy, but Spiritual Intimacy. Their stories sound so familiar to Kevin and mine. We spend so much time, in our marriges, getting intimate sexually only to realize that the truest form of intimacy is Spiritual.
We struggled for so long in this same area of our marriage and it was difficult to overcome.
This article was such a wonderful reminder of some of the things we had to use to overcome this issue.
He shook his head dolefully as we talked about our future marriage and my thoughts on spiritual intimacy. "I'm not so sure I'm knowledgeable enough to be the spiritual partner you need me to be," Dale said. "You know the Bible so much better than I do. You've been a Christian decades longer than I have."
Over the course of our conversation, Dale realized that God's plan for spiritual intimacy did not depend on how much time we'd spent in a church — or even the amount of understanding we each had of spiritual things. We both deeply loved God, and that was a great place to start building a spiritual foundation.
Since we'd both been single for many years, we were used to deepening our relationship with Christ on our own. We had to learn how to share our deeply personal spiritual lives and grow together as a couple. As we've worked to deepen our spiritual intimacy, I've learned a few things along the way.
Let Go of Misconceptions
Dale's steps in creating a Christ-focused home were not what I had expected, but our life together has ended up even better than anything I had planned. The tone and attitude he established set a firm foundation for our marriage.
I may have subconsciously expected to marry a pastorlike man. Dale did not live up to my unrealistic expectations, but he did fulfill the role God designed for him in our marriage. Though he didn't sit me down every night for an hour of prayer and Bible study, Dale lived out 1 Corinthians 13. He incorporated the fruits of the Spirit into everyday living, and he directed many of our conversations to what Jesus would say or do.
In such an atmosphere, instead of holding on to my preconceived expectations, I enjoyed the journey of growing together spiritually.
Encourage Each Other
One of the most productive things I found I could do is encourage and empower Dale with genuine love and appreciation. When I see him take a positive spiritual step, simple affirmation gives him the courage to continue building our spiritual intimacy.
I watch for those moments — when he takes the risk to pray in a group or comments during one of our Bible studies. I make sure I let him know how proud I am of him and acknowledge his initiative. As I applaud his efforts to seek God, our spiritual relationship grows stronger day by day.
Accept One Another
Naturally, I sometimes wish my husband would change in certain ways, but I know better than to nag or criticize. One friend of mine thought that if she nagged her husband enough, he'd take his rightful place as a Christian husband. Instead, she built a wall of criticism that kept him from even trying. Now, years later, they are spiritual strangers.
As I take my concerns to God, He teaches me to be patient and entrust my husband to Him. At the same time, I must continue pursuing my own growth without worrying that my husband might fall behind. We're not running a race but traveling together on a lifelong journey; the progress of either one of us benefits both.
Work As a Team
Dale and I keep in mind that we are a team. So we make plans together regarding our spiritual life: church involvement, small-group connections, goals for prayer, Bible study, tithing and other disciplines. We address all these things as a couple, even if both of us don't participate in all of them at the time.
Though each of us may grow in different areas at different times, we will stay connected spiritually as long as we work as a team and pray for each other. Praying daily is especially important to us — whether together or on our own. As we cover each other in prayer, our hearts and minds naturally come to a special place of love and desire to see God work in our spouse.
As we've encouraged and accepted one another, and trusted God in the areas where we fall short, we've found that our spiritual intimacy is one of the most beautiful aspects of our marriage.
This article, written by Susan Mathis, first appeared in the Couples Edition of the May, 2007 issue of Focus on the Family magazine. Copyright © 2007, Focus on the Family. All rights reserved.
Often we spend time with friends and discover that, in their relationship, it's lacking in the intimacy department. Not sexual intimacy, but Spiritual Intimacy. Their stories sound so familiar to Kevin and mine. We spend so much time, in our marriges, getting intimate sexually only to realize that the truest form of intimacy is Spiritual.
We struggled for so long in this same area of our marriage and it was difficult to overcome.
This article was such a wonderful reminder of some of the things we had to use to overcome this issue.
He shook his head dolefully as we talked about our future marriage and my thoughts on spiritual intimacy. "I'm not so sure I'm knowledgeable enough to be the spiritual partner you need me to be," Dale said. "You know the Bible so much better than I do. You've been a Christian decades longer than I have."
Over the course of our conversation, Dale realized that God's plan for spiritual intimacy did not depend on how much time we'd spent in a church — or even the amount of understanding we each had of spiritual things. We both deeply loved God, and that was a great place to start building a spiritual foundation.
Since we'd both been single for many years, we were used to deepening our relationship with Christ on our own. We had to learn how to share our deeply personal spiritual lives and grow together as a couple. As we've worked to deepen our spiritual intimacy, I've learned a few things along the way.
Let Go of Misconceptions
Dale's steps in creating a Christ-focused home were not what I had expected, but our life together has ended up even better than anything I had planned. The tone and attitude he established set a firm foundation for our marriage.
I may have subconsciously expected to marry a pastorlike man. Dale did not live up to my unrealistic expectations, but he did fulfill the role God designed for him in our marriage. Though he didn't sit me down every night for an hour of prayer and Bible study, Dale lived out 1 Corinthians 13. He incorporated the fruits of the Spirit into everyday living, and he directed many of our conversations to what Jesus would say or do.
In such an atmosphere, instead of holding on to my preconceived expectations, I enjoyed the journey of growing together spiritually.
Encourage Each Other
One of the most productive things I found I could do is encourage and empower Dale with genuine love and appreciation. When I see him take a positive spiritual step, simple affirmation gives him the courage to continue building our spiritual intimacy.
I watch for those moments — when he takes the risk to pray in a group or comments during one of our Bible studies. I make sure I let him know how proud I am of him and acknowledge his initiative. As I applaud his efforts to seek God, our spiritual relationship grows stronger day by day.
Accept One Another
Naturally, I sometimes wish my husband would change in certain ways, but I know better than to nag or criticize. One friend of mine thought that if she nagged her husband enough, he'd take his rightful place as a Christian husband. Instead, she built a wall of criticism that kept him from even trying. Now, years later, they are spiritual strangers.
As I take my concerns to God, He teaches me to be patient and entrust my husband to Him. At the same time, I must continue pursuing my own growth without worrying that my husband might fall behind. We're not running a race but traveling together on a lifelong journey; the progress of either one of us benefits both.
Work As a Team
Dale and I keep in mind that we are a team. So we make plans together regarding our spiritual life: church involvement, small-group connections, goals for prayer, Bible study, tithing and other disciplines. We address all these things as a couple, even if both of us don't participate in all of them at the time.
Though each of us may grow in different areas at different times, we will stay connected spiritually as long as we work as a team and pray for each other. Praying daily is especially important to us — whether together or on our own. As we cover each other in prayer, our hearts and minds naturally come to a special place of love and desire to see God work in our spouse.
As we've encouraged and accepted one another, and trusted God in the areas where we fall short, we've found that our spiritual intimacy is one of the most beautiful aspects of our marriage.
This article, written by Susan Mathis, first appeared in the Couples Edition of the May, 2007 issue of Focus on the Family magazine. Copyright © 2007, Focus on the Family. All rights reserved.
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