Connecting in a New Way

For years I have wanted to have daily time in the Word with my husband. But for most of our 5 years of marriage it has seemed to illude us. I would do my thing, he would do his...and sometimes neither of us would do much of anything. There is a long list of excuses as to why we failed, but none hold much water.

Recently though, I think we have found our groove and I wanted to share our solution in hopes that, if you have always struggled with this as well, it might be a solution for you too.

Adam and I aren't reading the same book or even studying the same subject, but what we have begun to do is when we sit down to spend time studying God's Word we pull up our email and journal our thoughts as we work through whatever we are studying/reading. Right now, I am reading the book of Galatians and working through my church's Lent Guide. Adam is working through some heavy reading on suffering. Once I am done with my quiet time, I hit send and it's delivered to Adam's inbox. He does the same.

Why it works for us:

1. We are both better able to express ourselves more deeply and thoughtfully through writing.

2. Because we are not studying the exact same topics we are able to learn more about two subjects,    sharpening each other through our individual studies.

   

3. Email holds us accountable. If I forget to do my quiet time, but later in the day I receive an email from Adam, I am reminded to make time for the Lord. Also, I have not been perfectly consistent in emailing everyday since we began. Grey has been sick and I let taking extra care of him get in the way of setting time aside for the Lord. A quick email from Adam asking how my quiet time was going helped me get back on track.

4. It is convenient. We don't have to do our quiet times at the same time of day. We can get to it when we can and still connect and discuss what we are learning.

5. It cultivates a relationship full of grace. To read what your spouse is working through and struggling with gives you a better ability to give grace when grace is due.

5. It encourages deeper conversations.  Many times our thoughts don't stay on the page. They make their way into our conversations. When we go on a date or sit down over dinner our conversations aren't always confined to small talk because we know what the other person is studying and struggling through. 

Spending personal time in the Bible is so important to my relationship with God. How can I fully love Him if I don't know Him. Spending time in the Word with Adam via email and helps me know and love him better as well.

If you have been struggling with a consistent quiet time with your spouse, give this method a try and see if it works for you. If nothing else, I hope that this encourages you to be creative with how you connect with God and with your spouse.

xoxoKtB