Struggles

Even at my age, I'm still learning that life isn't easy.  I'm struggling to lose the weight that has crept up over the past 8 months or so; it isn't easy!  And getting along with everyone all of the time is practically impossible!  In a sincere effort to be honest -- because I think honesty and openness make us better people -- my husband and I are, in an effort to deepen our relationship, discovering that we do have some issues.  It has been so very easy -- and I'm sure that everyone who's married will find this to be true -- to slip into a routine that somehow, through the course of months and years, reaches a superficial level.  Gone are the times of intimacy, and I'm not just referring to physical intimacy, but emotional and spiritual intimacy.  Gone are the times of long, extended conversations about dreams and aspirations, about hopes and fears, about personal struggles to do better, and about goals for the future.  So Bob and I have been listening to a radio broadcast on the internet in the evenings, discussing our reactions and thoughts to it, and then facing the fact that we do need to work on our relationship, which, in my opinion, has become superficial.  The simple fact of discussing things that we've glossed over has resurrected them, and it won't be easy fleshing them out and working through them. 
Let me clarify here that Bob and I have a pretty good relationship, but as I said, it has become superficial; we're living like roommates, not spouses.  Surely some of my readers feel the same way!  But we're determined to regain that spark, that feeling of being special and cherished, we had when we first met.  To help us along the way, we're going to be attending a seminar at our church entitled "The Art of Marriage" on February 11 and 12, where we, along with many other couples who wish to deepen their relationship, will work together to do so.  If you live in the United States and are married, I encourage you to check out this seminar at http://www.familylifetoday.com/, where you can click on the link to The Art of Marriage.  This will take you to a page where you can see if there is a seminar being hosted in your area; if not, the option is there for you to host one in a place of your choosing.  This video series seminar is debuting on February 11 and 12 and will be happening in hundreds of places throughout the U.S., so I encourage you to check out the website. 
I find it interesting that the Bible tells men to "love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her," and tells women to "respect their husbands."  God knows what each sex needs -- women need to feel love and affection, and men need to feel respected!  Yet somehow, through the simple act of living, raising kids, working, and spreading ourselves thin with so many things, we drift from that ideal.
We will listen to another program tonight and determine to set right the misunderstanding we had when we got out of bed this morning; words are so powerful, aren't they?!  Some have the strength of a nuclear bomb, immense in their destruction, while others pour joy and approval into the ears of the hearer.  Our words should be filled with encouragement, hope, expectation, and approval, but so often we pour poison into the hearts of those we love the most.  Dear friends, that ought not to be, and I'm as guilty as the next person.  I need to keep focused on using my mouth and tongue, that most powerful of all muscles in the body, in a way that pleases God rather than my own ego and self-righteous attitude.  That's my prayer.