Day Fourteen: "Love Takes Delight"

"Enjoy life with the wife you love all the days of your fleeting life."

Ecclesiastes 9:9

"A newlywed takes delight in the one they now call their spouse. Their love is fresh and young, and the hopes for a romantic future linger in their hearts. However, there is something just as powerful as that fresh, new love. It comes from the decision to delight in your spouse and to love him or her no matter how long you've been married. In other words, love that chooses to love is just as powerful as love that feels like loving. In many ways, it's a truer love because it has its eyes wide open.

Left to ourselves, we'll always lean toward being disappointed. She'll get on your nerves. He'll aggravate you. But our days are too short to waste in bickering over petty things. Life is too fleeting for that. Instead, it's time to lead your heart once again to delight in your mate. Accept this person- quirks, flaws and all-and welcome him or her back into your heart."

The Dare: "Purposefully neglect an activity you would normally do so you can spend quality time with your spouse. Do something he or she would love to do or a project they'd really like to work on. Just be together."

The Outcome: A few years ago, Nathan and I found ourselves at a crossroads. The road in front of us said, "Impossible," the road to the right said, "Divorce," and the road to the left said, "Misery." You may have or may one day be standing at this same intersection where you have a choice: throw in the towel and give up or fight for a marriage that you have almost checked out of? One doesn't close their eyes and awake to see themselves at this place. It takes a long walk down Disappointment Road to land there. Along that road are broken promises, many stops and lingering visits in the Depreciation Room, dangerous battlefields where words were spoken like venom. They are all landmarks that you visit along the lonely, winding road that dead ends at the Crossroads. 

We had a choice. We didn't make the choice to walk down Impossible Road because of our "feelings." At that point, our feelings had run dry. We weren't sure what love felt like anymore but we knew it didn't thrive in our hearts at the moment. We made a decision based on choice instead of feeling. We decided to push through, walk down an impossible road, together...and know that God is the God of Impossible. All things ARE possible with Him.

I believe in a God of restoration. I knew the same power that resurrected Jesus from the grave could resurrect my dying marriage. I'm pleased to say that it did. Our choice made out of a decision, later became a choice we stayed in because of feelings. Feelings we thought were long dead. Ones we never thought we'd experience again. We, along with God, led our hearts out. There will be days when we make choices more out of decision than feelings, but there will never be a day that we will allow our hearts to once again drift down Disappointment Road.

For yesterday's dare, I decided to not write my blog for the day (which means I will have to write two today). I instead chose to spend time with Nathan and our family at my wonderful nephew's birthday party. We decided to just enjoy each other.

DAY 26: SUCCESS

25 days and counting...