Work On Growing Closer

"Rejoice with the wife of your youth."      Proverbs 5:18 NKJV

The more history you have with your spouse, the more joy and pain you have experienced.  You're closer at times than others as the circumstances of life rise and fall.  Yet if you did due diligence at the onset or the relationship, were clear about what you desired in a partner, and honestly evaluated who that person is, what will keep your union going forward is remembering what brought the two of you together in the first place.  What you initially enjoyed and esteemed about this person probably hasn't changed.  But for your relationship to continue to develop, you must work on growing closer.  All relationships have growth areas that require pruning and fertilizing.  If you feel your relationship isn't what it once was, it could be that it's developing into something different.  Or it could be that you need to renew your commitment to keeping it fresh and moving forward.  It may be that you must work on creating the intimacy that's missing or enjoying the love you once had.  The fundamentals of your mate, if they were really there in the first place, aren't likely to change.  The basis of your relationship is what's important.  Focusing on that makes it much easier to go with the flow of the unavoidable ups and downs of daily living.  So, do you need more time together?  When you're too busy to listen, really listen, your mate thinks you don't care about them or you don't value the relationship sufficiently.  Think: What would you do if your car broke down?  You would take the time and pay the price to fix it!

This message taken from: Daily Devotional - The Word For You Today