Marital Bonding

We are living in the arctic vortex…in a travel trailer. It is an adventure to say the least, but it has also proven to pull us together.

Nomadic military life can bring some great stories and amazing adventures. From standing outside in five degree weather to unfreeze trailer parts to living in such close quarters, we have found that this life sometimes takes us places we never actually planned to go.

The temptation comes sometimes to be frustrated by circumstance and challenged by the unknowns. We can easily fall from the enjoyment of a journey to the sole focus of destination, survival.

Whether dealing with arctic vortexes, deployments, health issues, or family struggles, we inadvertently find ourselves just wanting to get to the end, just surviving, instead of being thankful not necessarily for circumstances but for the God who is with us and grows us through them.

We also forget sometimes that we don’t navigate this road alone. While standing outside with my hubby yesterday trying to feel my fingers and toes, I was reminded again that we are in this adventure together. The craziness of life sometimes can bring out crankiness – maybe not in you, but in me, for sure.

I could try to tell you that we laughed about our circumstances yesterday, but we didn’t.

We did, however, look straight at each other and determine that we would not want to be on this crazy adventure with anyone else. The old song went through my brain, “dance with the one who brought you.” Kyle did not necessarily bring these circumstances to us, but He is the one God gave me to walk with for life – including the crazy situations we never dreamed we would encounter.

Sometimes this marital bonding we call dancing takes some practice. Over the years we have gotten better at this dance, but it is still a work in progress, a  journey we are on together. Just as in the rest of life, marriage is not a destination, but an amazing adventure. God uses our marriages to mold us to be more like Him, but He also uses it to show the world a picture of Him.

These “marital bonding” moments that can challenge us or grow us or both are worth it – and not just because they make great stories for later. They are great chances to learn to dance together, to practice the dance that is our marriage.

So why do we even get stuck in survival mode, when the adventure is far better when we jump right in and enjoy the journey. For today, why don’t we dance with the one God gave us? There is no telling where the adventure will take us!

Have you had some “marital bonding” lately? How have these moments grown you? How have they grown your marriage? Are you learning to dance?