Last Wednesday, I shared a piece that felt particularly vulnerable and scary. Shortly after I hit “Publish” was when I got scared, flipped out, cried, and decided never to write another word again. Sometimes writing brings out the irrational in me.
What unfolded, however, was this really beautiful sense of community. It was the kind of thing I write for. I was so encouraged by your own stories, your messages, and the many of you offering a brave and gracious, “me too.” You’ve reminded me why I love to write and how worthwhile it is to share the hard stuff.
And, you guys, I’m exhausted. I don’t know if it’s the emotional energy I expended or the caps-lock-CRAZY schedule my husband and I have had over the past week or so―maybe it’s both? It doesn’t matter. I feel really depleted, so instead of forcing out a post for this week, I’m going to send us elsewhere on the internet as I share some [new!] posts recently published on iBelieve:
First, 7 Things I Learned after My First Year of Marriage:
“One thing is for certain when we are approaching a significant life change: People will dish out loads of advice. Before getting married, I remember advice coming from all angles, both solicited and unsolicited. Don’t get me wrong, I know our loved ones only had our best interest in mind, but it can be overwhelming to receive so much counsel. Of all the advice we heard, there was one strong theme we consistently heard: Marriage is hard.
Sure, marriage takes work and intention, but it is so much more than just hard work. As with most things, experience is the best teacher, so here are some significant things I learned about marriage after celebrating our first anniversary.”
To read the rest of the post, click here.
Next, Why You’re Not too Busy to Pray:
“The alarm on my husband’s phone sounds—it’s time to start the day. We each get up slowly (it’s a process!), sleepily mumbling morning greetings. We check our email, social media accounts, and sports scores. Before I know it, he’s out the door and our working hours have begun.
When he comes home 10 hours later, we eat dinner and zone out in front of the TV for a couple of hours. Before bed, we’re back on our phones for a final check of our email, social media accounts, and sports scores. Then it’s a kiss goodnight and a sleepy “I love you.”
Thankfully, this is not our every day, but even in our first two years of marriage we’ve seen how easily it could become our norm. Intellectually, we know our time is better spent connecting with one another, rather than connecting with our screens while sitting beside one another. Screen time, however, is easy. It does not require intention or presence, but it also doesn’t offer much, either.
On days like the one I described, it’s not that my spouse and I are too busy to spend quality time together—it’s that we’re too distracted. To combat the distraction, we remind ourselves that we will get out of our marriage what we put into it. That’s true for any relationship—including the one we have with God.”
For the rest of this post, click here.
Forever grateful for you who journey alongside me with every word I share. “See” you next week!
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