Devotedly Yours

I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word. --Psalm 119:14-16

As I was growing up, my family concluded our evening meal by reading from the Bible and a daily devotional. I hoped to carry that tradition with me into my new two-person family with Brad. Throughout the first several months of marriage we struggled to find time for the after-dinner devotions. I was working two jobs, commuting 120 miles a day to college, and Brad was commuting 2 hours each day to work. Needless to say, this cut into our energy supply, not to mention the actual time available to spend with each other in the evenings.

Now our lives are a bit more settled. I have graduated from college and gotten a "real" job. A month ago we moved closer to where we both work so that we don't have to commute quite so far. With the extra time in our schedules, we have ample opportunity to spend time with God and each other. We have made post-dinner devotions a priority. We are intent on building a foundation in these early years of our marriage that will sustain us in whatever lies ahead.

The devotional book we are reading is called "Night Light" and is written by Dr. James Dobson and his wife Shirley. Each day's reading has some concluding questions that always prompt a lot of discussion. The questions are so thought provoking and the book's suggestions so inspiring that I wish we had worked harder at getting into a routine sooner. The topics are always timely, and Brad and I have spent an incredible amount of time pouring out our hearts to one another and spending time in meaningful prayer--all before the dishes are even cleared!

Fellowshipping with others is important, but the time spent on an individual level with God and your spouse can be incredible. Aside from God, there is no one who loves me and knows me quite like my husband does. When we spend time together after dinner, reading and reflecting on God's word, I am touched on a level deeper than I could even describe. How precious it is to be able to spend quality time in the presence of so much love.

I never would have guessed that something that began as a simple family tradition would eventually impact me in such an amazing way. I pray that more couples, especially newlyweds like us, will make time to devote a significant portion of their day to spending time with their Creator and their spouse, and will experience for themselves the blessings that come of it.