It seems to be so incredibly easy to get off track on everything. I think about how much I intend to accomplish each week and, before I know it, I am procrastinating or doing other things. Why is it so hard to stay the course? Sometimes, I think it has everything to do with my mind! I am so easily distracted and I guess, to be honest, sometimes a bit lazy! We all tend to assume that our relationships will stay on track and then we wake up and realize the track has moved!
In Ephesians 4:4 (MSG) it says, “We were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly.”
As I read that scripture, I wonder what Paul would say to us today about that. In our marriages, we struggle both to stay on the same road and go in the same direction. We live busy lives and tend to do our own thing. That is very natural for us with careers, children, and everything else life requires, but we need to recognize and be sure that at the end of the day, we are going in the same direction both inwardly and outwardly! How can we be sure we stay the same course?
- Periodically, sooner than later, discuss the direction you want to be sure you are going. Talk about life direction, spiritual direction, and emotional direction. Our hearts will not move together unless the heart is expressed. Remember, we can’t assume we always know what the other one is thinking!
- Slow down! Do not let life and all it’s opportunities distract you from where you really want to go! What kind of marriage do you want and what will that require of you both? Make sure you move in that direction.
- Do you, as a couple, pray about EVERYTHING? God wants to be your guide in all aspects of life. When you bring things before him for direction and wisdom, he hears you and will direct you. As he does that, the two of you will feel so connected and together.
Please don’t wake up one day to discover that your marriage is way off track. It is much harder to put it back on track than it is to slow down and make sure the wheels are on track and moving in the right direction!
Steve and Debbie Wilson are the founders of Marriage Matters Now. You can see them live at Lifeway’s Marriage Getaways event Oct. 11-13 in Ridgecrest, NC.
