Shared Lives

I was praying today while we were having communion at the end of our church service, like we do every week.  However, I was praying about my marriage.  It is the time of year where work that was already busy increases into crazy-busy.  I can often morph into what I call military-wife mode.  My husband is often home during sleeping hours, when international teams come in, but his hours may be skewed and not be in until 2 am in the morning. So basically he is not here (however I am thankful for the time that he is).  

Back to military mom: I function well on my own.  I think I almost function too well.  So I was praying, anticipating the extra busy-ness in our schedule, that we would be intentional as a couple to have shared lives.  All too often I hear or read of marriages, or have had this happen to us as well,  where people live together but exist separately.  This is so easy to do when we start having teams come in to help us with ministry work.    I have to be intentional on keeping my heart open, sharing my heart with my husband, intentionally asking questions so I can learn about what is going on in his life, in his heart, what is on his heart.  It is too easy to fill our time together with the family management checklist.  This is true especially when homeschooling four kids (and might I add potty-training the youngest)!

Then, it hit me, I understood a little better God's desire to share our lives.  When we see the love, the sacrifice and plan God has for us, we see how much He wants to share lives with His bride (his believers/followers).  And then I see his perfect design for marriage to help us to understand how he loves and desires us.

^"25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, ²⁶ that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, ²⁷ so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.^{[a] 28} In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, ³⁰ because we are members of his body. ³¹ “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” ³² This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. ³³ However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband."  Ephesians 5:25-33.

I just love those little glimpses God gives us.  It was one of those moments where what you know in your head and in your heart becomes a deeper understanding and appreciation in your soul.  

I pray that God gives you a deeper understanding of His love for you today.