To the one who may not know that on the days where we forget to notice each other, my heart still sees you. I still see you.
I See You
I see the sacrifices you make.
I see the little things you do.
I see when you move our baby monitor to your side of the bed because you can see through to my heart that’s had a weary week and is physically exhausted.
I see you when you’re working hard to provide, with a grace that comes so easily for you, to be a pillar to our family.
I see you in the hours of doubting yourself, and the days you sink your head thinking you’ve fallen short.
But do you see?
Do you still see the way I look at you when I remember to notice?
Marriage Matters
When I resist the lie that our marriage is living in a place of conscience and contempt.
Where the enemy whispers in my ear lies of mediocrity or comparison.
But from the place deep in my heart, I pause to listen to the often still small voice that says there’s something worth fighting for.
A place where I’m settled enough to see how vastly OUR marriage matters to the Kingdom of God.
YOUR marriage matters to the Kingdom of God.
But in the midst of the mundane and all our to-dos, we can easily forget that we must protect and cover it with the power and grace of God’s goodness.
Guard it against a real enemy that comes to steal, kill, destroy, and distract the divine plan that God has for YOUR marriage.
But in a world that glorifies self, is media taught, and is rapidly losing sight of biblical principles, one of the greatest threats our marriages are under is forgetting to notice the plan and divine purpose God has created it for.
Keep Pursuing
Forgetting to notice when our vision has escaped our hearts’ gaze
Forgetting to notice our Bible that’s sat in the same place on our nightstand for the last 3 weeks. The same Bible that has living, breathing words that could strengthen and sustain us in the very season we are crying out to God in if only we’d open it and listen.
Forgetting to notice when not only our tank is low, but when our spouse’s is too.
Forgetting to notice in the early years of raising children, in the years of summer schedules and back to school rushes, the importance of cultivating time set apart for each other, and for God.
Because as a union set apart and designed by God to bring fulfillment and security with Him in the center, we deserve more than each other’s leftovers.
God designed marriage not to be perfect or without conflict, but rather to provide partnership, spiritual intimacy, and the ability to pursue God not just as individuals, but as a sacred union before Him. We are called to model Christ toward our spouse.
In the place we remember to notice is where we fulfill God’s perfect order and design for marriage.
Marriage is the first union God created, and it’s also the first one that was attacked. Marriage is designed to mirror God’s covenant relationship with His people, and the enemy would love nothing more than to destroy it, or even more subtly, to make you stop noticing.
When a marriage does not function properly or is un-aligned with God’s Word, it mars the image of God and it breaks down every area of society. A healthy marriage, breeds a healthy family, a healthy family breeds a healthy church, a healthy church breeds a healthy community, and a healthy community breeds a healthy culture.
I encourage you to notice today.
Make a vow to your spouse, and to God, that you’ll strive to notice. Ask God to realign where you’ve gotten off, and have an unwavering commitment to not just make it work, but to make each other a priority above the noise of the world.
“And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world, but lose your soul?” -Mark 8:36
My Confession
So to my husband,
Thank you for protecting our priorities as a family, for establishing a heart for God as a staple in our home, and for your every day, sometimes silent, but always steady, actions that will forever tell our children, “follow me as I follow Christ.” Thank you for not striving to be perfect, but for daily leading me and our family back to The One who is.
LAUNCH WEEK GIVEAWAY: Day 3
For today’s giveaway, we teamed up with an incredible couple of humans! The founders of The Denali Collective are two of the coolest, most friendly people we’ve ever met, and their eye for stylish backpacks is truly unparalleled! We are giving away their “Adventurer” diaper bag, which is perfect for the active parent, or just anyone desiring to have a great looking backpack/diaper bag. Enter to win by sharing this post then be sure to check out all of their products here and tell all of your friends about them!
This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to Katelyn Rittinger!
Please send your mailing address to us at thepausepursuit@gmail.com so we can send you your prize!
Even though the giveaway is over, it’s not too late to share this post with a friend! If you know someone that this post would impact, encourage, or help, send it to them. After all, that’s what this is all about; let’s build each other up and walk through our journeys together!
