Praying on the Run - Card 3

Tonight my run turned into a walk after just a few laps. I hadn't felt well for a couple of days and thought I was all better, but I definitely tuckered out after a few laps! Oh well. Praying on a walk works just as well.

This card is a bit of a soapbox issue for me, so consider yourself warned. The quote from the book says:


I learned that after my relationship with Jesus, my relationship with my husband is to be my first priority. - Cindy Gensler

My prayer became:

Wisdom to balance relationships and to remember which comes first and which comes second...always.

When I was in high school, I babysat for a living. One of the families I sat for regularly purposed to go out on a date every other week. I know at times it was a sacrifice for them....financially and time-wise, but they went. And while sometimes they did go see a movie, they also went on dates to spend time talking to one another. They talked about their marriage and what was happening with their kids and goals they had as a couple and as a family. Even though I was still in high school, I recognized they were doing something right. I absorbed what I learned there and am so grateful they were willing to share their ideas with a teenager. They put God first and their relationship second...and taught me by example why it was important to do that.

I've been blessed to observe other couples who do a great job of this, too. But I also know many couples who haven't practiced it...who don't practice it...and it shows. It shows when they have kids and suddenly have to be reminded that they're married...because they only talk about and focus on their kids. It shows when they're caught up in work or school or hobbies. I find that most of them work to still keep God first, but marriage isn't second anymore...or third...or seventh. Or maybe even on the list at all.

I'm sure it's not as easy as I imagine it to be. I'm sure those other responsibilities do crowd in and it's easy to let the marriage slip down the rank of importance. But I am praying hard that when my day does come, I remember these days. The days when I pray for that relationship to come into my life.