"The grass is always greener over the septic tank".
Erma Bombeck:h
I was saddened by what my friend was sharing. She was tired of her husband so she was leaving him because she found the man she dreamed of being with. I was shocked by my friend?s decision.
I had been in their wedding and heard the lifetime promises made from their hearts. I had been with them to celebrate their first anniversary. I had been with them just after the births of their first and second child. I had shared their laughter, encouraged them through their tears, and enjoyed doing life with them.
While their relationship had not been perfect, they did love one another. But something had gotten broken in their relationship and neither of them knew how to fix it. It led to a stale quietness that seeped into their home and made each feel lonelier and isolated than they ever knew was possible for a ?couple.? He had grown distant. She had grown frustrated. Life was busy, finances were stressful, and they stopped making time for romantic conversations they used to enjoy. They used to be a team and felt they could beat anything life sent their way. Now they just fought against each other. Then she met an attentive, financially secure man who seemed to be the answer to all of her unmet longings.
She traded her life for the thrill of something new, the lure of something she perceived would be so much better.
But just two years later I ran into this friend and was stunned by her confession. With tears in her eyes she admitted that she?d discovered fairy tales don?t exist. Every relationship feels exhilarating at the beginning but then real life happens and marriage is hard work no matter who you are married to. When I asked her to tell me about her new husband she smiled shyly and said, ?Well, he?s hairy.?
What?
What did she just say? My mind was spinning. Of all the words, all the descriptions, all the romantic terms I expected her to use, ?hairy? was no where on the list. How telling that the man that was once so irresistible that she traded everything for him, had now been reduced to one word?hairy!
I?m convinced that in marriage the grass isn?t greener on the other side. The grass is greener where you water and fertilize it.
Dear Lord, please help me see my marriage as a sacred thing. May I always understand that being married was not meant to just make me happy but make my character more holy. Help me remember being married is less about having the right partner and more about being the right partner. Shape me into the wife my husband needs and deserves. Help me to pause before I speak so I don?t react out of anger, frustration, or selfishness. Show me how to respect, love and give to this man in a way that honors You and brings joy to our home. In Jesus? Name, Amen.
Erma Bombeck:h
I was saddened by what my friend was sharing. She was tired of her husband so she was leaving him because she found the man she dreamed of being with. I was shocked by my friend?s decision.
I had been in their wedding and heard the lifetime promises made from their hearts. I had been with them to celebrate their first anniversary. I had been with them just after the births of their first and second child. I had shared their laughter, encouraged them through their tears, and enjoyed doing life with them.
While their relationship had not been perfect, they did love one another. But something had gotten broken in their relationship and neither of them knew how to fix it. It led to a stale quietness that seeped into their home and made each feel lonelier and isolated than they ever knew was possible for a ?couple.? He had grown distant. She had grown frustrated. Life was busy, finances were stressful, and they stopped making time for romantic conversations they used to enjoy. They used to be a team and felt they could beat anything life sent their way. Now they just fought against each other. Then she met an attentive, financially secure man who seemed to be the answer to all of her unmet longings.
She traded her life for the thrill of something new, the lure of something she perceived would be so much better.
But just two years later I ran into this friend and was stunned by her confession. With tears in her eyes she admitted that she?d discovered fairy tales don?t exist. Every relationship feels exhilarating at the beginning but then real life happens and marriage is hard work no matter who you are married to. When I asked her to tell me about her new husband she smiled shyly and said, ?Well, he?s hairy.?
What?
What did she just say? My mind was spinning. Of all the words, all the descriptions, all the romantic terms I expected her to use, ?hairy? was no where on the list. How telling that the man that was once so irresistible that she traded everything for him, had now been reduced to one word?hairy!
I?m convinced that in marriage the grass isn?t greener on the other side. The grass is greener where you water and fertilize it.
Dear Lord, please help me see my marriage as a sacred thing. May I always understand that being married was not meant to just make me happy but make my character more holy. Help me remember being married is less about having the right partner and more about being the right partner. Shape me into the wife my husband needs and deserves. Help me to pause before I speak so I don?t react out of anger, frustration, or selfishness. Show me how to respect, love and give to this man in a way that honors You and brings joy to our home. In Jesus? Name, Amen.