Scripture: Proverbs 30:23 - ...an unloved woman who is married...
This is an open sentence...it can many many different things. Today's devotional is actually about feeling up the "love" cup of our husbands. Afterall, they may be big and strong and sturdy, but they need love just as much as we do.
"Husbands need attention, too. It's easy to get so caught up in the needs of our children that the needs of our husbands slide down the priority scale into oblivion. Our personal needs can fall somewhere even lower if we aren't careful." How many times have you gotten caught up in the needs of your kiddos or even your own needs that you forget your spouse exists? For those who are in a dating relationship...have you ever forgotten your man/woman? Have the tables ever been turned on you...you've been forgotten? If you have, you know it hurts. It makes you feel miserable, unloved, maybe even depressed.
"No relationship can survive on autopilot." What a statement! Is your relationship currently running on autopilot? Maybe you didn't even know it is on autopilot. It amazes me when I look back on my previous years of marriage...I can pinpoint several areas where the relationship was on autopilot. Oddly enough, we made it through those areas and continue to grow and thrive. It's especially clear to see the autopilot if I look back to when Josh and I first began dating. When you begin a new relationship, there's lots of work to be done....like a garden or growing a tree.
The right spot has to be chosen for the tree...or in this case, it has to be the right person. This is a hard thing because you don't know when you begin if he/she is the right one for you. Likewise, the "right" spot for a tree may not actually be the "right" spot.
After finding the right spot, you have to cultivate the soil. This would be much like the blind date stage...where you think you have enough information to at least see if it could be something. Then, once you know it might work, you're ready to plant the seed and water it. This would relate to the bonding period of a relationship. The time taken to really get to know each other. This is the time where everyone is minding their P's and Q's and doing what they can to make good impressions.
Eventually the tree's roots get deeper and the branches spread out. Now the tree appears to be on autopilot. It can reach it's own water via the water table and the branches gather the ran as it falls. It's a beautiful thing! Strong enough to "fend" for itself, yet vulenerable to the elements. You can see it's full potential in sight, but just one strong storm can take it down.
And you thought taking care of a new tree would be easy! It's the same for a relationship. While our trees are growing big and strong, we still need to trim off dead branches, pull down dangerous vines that begin to grow on it, make sure the kids don't peel the bark off of it, etc. There is always some form of work that the tree needs help with. This is the same with a relationship. While it might seem self-sustaining, there is always work that needs to be done to keep it growing, thriving, and beautiful.
What fruit will you choose to sow? Will you choose to nurture your relationships and make sure they thrive?
Show everyone something beautiful!
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