Marriage is a vow to stay by each other’s side for better and worse. While we know it’s our job to show our spouse the love of God, it’s not always easy to do that! We each face ups and downs that affect our mood, demeanor, and availability. When life is tough for our partners, the stress they are experiencing can make them harder to be around. The reflex we must avoid is retreating and avoiding being with them.
The same is true for ourselves; as we navigate seasons of burnout, fatigue, and more, our motivation to love our partner well with grace and affection can wane. This is normal in marriage. We all face seasons where we aren’t as close as we’d like to be. What’s important is that we recognize these times and do our best to intentionally bridge the gap you’ve seen growing between you.
The urgent things around us can so easily suck up all our effort, time, and emotional bandwidth. In marriage, the struggle is to be intentional about choosing to love and see each other in every session. This requires a lot of grace, so much humility, and a lot of forgiveness. Thankfully, with God’s help, we can stay in love and remain affectionate towards each other. He is our strength even when we feel weak.
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Studio4
