The Love Dare - Day 30

Day 30: Love brings unity – “Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are.” – John 17:11

Isn’t a marriage all about unity? Of course it should be, but it’s not always so easy. Whether it’s a decision about the television channels we want to watch, where we want to go on vacation or what we spend our money on, it’s not always easy to be unified. Sometimes, it’s the smallest things that separate us. For instance, let’s say your spouse wants to go to the beach this year, but you think it’s too expensive and doesn’t fit into the budget right now. It’s a discussion that can very easily turn into an all-out war. It’s hard to see the other person’s “side” of the matter sometimes, especially if you are not unified in how you feel about and deal with certain topics. Money is definitely a biggie and certainly one of the biggest in my house. We are completely debt free except for our house, which will be paid off very soon. If we weren’t united in how we deal with our finances, this would absolutely be impossible. Now, does that mean we have to agree about everything? Of course not. Does it mean that we don’t argue about the grocery or clothing budget? Of course not. It just means that we are united in our desire to be debt free and we’re working together to obtain that goal.

Day 30 Dare: Isolate one are of division in your marriage, and look on today as a fresh opportunity to pray about it. Ask the Lord to reveal anything in your own heart that is threatening oneness with your spouse. Pray that He would do the same for them. And if appropriate, discuss this matter openly, seeking God for unity.

I would still say that money is an area of division in our marriage, but not as much as it used to be. Matt is very practical and budgets very well. I’m definitely not the “saver” in our family. I’m the one that does all the grocery shopping, present buying, clothes shopping, etc. Matt just doesn’t know how much some things cost and that has been a source of irritation for me. He’s much better than he used to be, but I’m also working on trying to save money in other ways – buying things when they are on sale, clipping coupons, etc.

Lord, thank You for blessing me with a husband that is a good steward of money. You know we tithe faithfully and give with happy hearts and we are definitely feeling the reward for that. We understand that the first 10^th is Yours and will continue to give above and beyond when we are able. Please help us keep our marriage unified in other areas as well as how we feel about tithing. Amen.