CONNECTING WITH YOUR SPOUSE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CRAZINESS 

We want to be faithful with what (and who) has been entrusted to us, but it’s difficult to connect with God, our spouse, and our kids in the craziness of life.

My husband and I recently celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary. Five loud and wonderful children are a sweet by-product of our union (ranging from two to fourteen). As you can imagine our calendar is full and our days are busy. It’s tricky to have an uninterrupted conversation with each other during the day. But if we wait to connect at bedtime, we don’t often have much left to give.

Three years ago, Adam and I started doing something simple to help us connect in a meaningful way. We started climbing into our hammock together to talk for twenty minutes or so.

Once a week (on Wednesday nights) we sit close and talk about lessons we’ve learned, funny things we’ve experienced, times we’ve missed the mark, and things we want to improve.

We are often tired and sometimes annoyed with each other beforehand and it’s not often convenient. But when we take this weekly break from the busyness of life, and enjoy one another in the middle of the craziness, our outlook changes and our relationship is strengthened.

Connectivity is not often convenient, but it is a powerful tool, crucial to our well-being.

Even when we are frustrated, having the close proximity of sitting in the hammock helps soften our words and draws us closer together physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

We may not have big chunks of time to connect (although that is important as well) but we can connect in shorter amounts of time, on an on-going basis. When we do so, we communicate to our spouse that they are a priority in our hearts.

This short burst of connectivity as a couple has done wonders for our marriage...READ MORE + PRAYER FOR YOUR SPOUSE