November 13, 2019 If I was looking for sweep-me-off-my-feet romance, I probably married the wrong man. My husband, Adam, isn’t the kind of man you’d see personified in a romantic movie. He’s not super affectionate. He doesn’t surprise me with candle-light dinners or “whisper sweet nothings” into my ear. He isn’t often the first to say, “I love you.” Sometimes, I let that bother me, and I wish he’d be more like those characters in novels or movies who make these grand gestures of love. Then, I remember all the other ways he shows his love. Every workday, he intentionally gets up 15 to 20 minutes earlier than me to make coffee. The moment I trudge down the stairs, he pours me a cup with the perfect amount of flavored creamer in it. He often has dinner ready when I get home from work (he gets home from work two hours earlier than me). On these cold days, he starts my vehicle and brushes the snow off. And those are just the little things. He also works hard to keep our house running, take care of me and our son and to help provide for us. In some ways, this part of my relationship with my husband is like my relationship with God. There are times – way more times than I’d care to admit, in fact – I feel distant from God. There are times when my prayer life is dry, and I feel like I’m talking to myself when I pray. There are times I just don’t feel God’s presence. Then, I notice some little beauty or some little grace that leaves me awe-struck (I was profoundly moved this week by the beauty of the snow-laden trees lining the roads as I commuted to work), I see a situation that reminds me how blessed and fortunate I am, or I have a moment when I strongly feel God’s presence or hear a needed message in prayer. Relationships, including our relationships with the Lord, ebb and flow. There are times when they are intense and the connections feel strong, and there are times when they’re cooler. Regardless of how strongly I feel it at any given moment, I know with certainty I am loved by both my husband and my God. And that sweeps me off my feet. |
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