That Couple that Prays Together

Why doesn't my body work as quickly as my mind? As I made my way downstairs to sit in front of our laptop, I had in my head exactly what I was going to write in this post. By the time I logged in and ate a few fries (I'm just eating dinner as I am posting this because Little J.Z. refused to fall asleep without me next to him) all of those eloquent thoughts were lost! So, here's my attempt at re-creating my original post.

Whether you are married, engaged, or in a relationship, I'd argue that prayer should be a major part of it. I'd also argue how much easier said than done that is. I pray. Johnny prays. One of us usually prays with our son at meals and before bedtime. But rarely do we pray together - as a pair or as a family. Shame on us!

Today we turned over a new leaf. I was getting ready to leave for work and Johnny stopped me and said he wanted us to pray. Though I was running late, I obliged, and I am so glad I did. First off, it was a great prayer. My hubby is not very detailed, or long-winded when it comes to praying, and he usually sticks to the point. This prayer was not very different than usual, but this time it was about the content of the prayer. I left home feeling ready to overcome any challenges I'd face. I just knew the day would fly by and it would be easy, and I'd have the best day ever because we had prayed.

Well, my day wasn't the happily ever after I had expected. I had to drag a student out from under her desk at lunch time, my grade level chair reminded me of more work that needed to be done in addition to the laundry list of things I was already behind on, and the more time that passed, the more busy and talkative and disobedient my students became. So no, our family prayer this morning didn't make my day any easier, but it did make my day more bearable. Somehow, I was able to better cope with all of the mess I dealt with today. And somehow, it didn't feel as bad as it usually does when those things happen. Johnny said it helped him too.

So why not pray with your spouse or your honey? If you have children, include them in your prayers too. I've never known prayer to hurt a situation. Have you?

Oh...and if you don't know how to pray, it's soooo simple. Just talk to God. I always start by thanking Him for whatever I am thankful for, because He's the one who's provided those things to me. Then I ask him for whatever I need help with or guidance on.

One Plus for January 19, 2012

I am on a mission to say one positive (hence the plus) thing about my husband per day. It's so easy to focus on what our spouses are not doing (I'm soooo guilty), but we all need to challenge ourselves to keep a "glass half-full" outlook on our marriages - and everything else, for that matter.

Please share your One Plus about your spouse below or tweet them to us @livingblacklove (#1Plus). It's all about strengthening our relationships and this is an easy way to do it.

Is Your Tank Full?

Lately, if I do something that Johnny likes or appreciates, and I do it just for him, he'll say, "My tank is full." Then he'll make this gulp, gulp, gulp sound similar to gas being pumped into a car. I've been giving him a similar response if he does something nice for me. It's become our running joke, but it didn't come out of left field. It's a reference to a book we've both read, that I've studied in my small group (shout out to the ladies, past and present, of Women in Marriage at Zion Church!), and from which our pastor Keith Battle, has preached a whole series.

The book is The Five Love Languages by Dr. Gary Chapman. It's a thin book, a quick read, and very insightful. I'll spare you the details (mainly because it's worth your while to pick up the book. That, and the fact that I've been trying to finish this post for a week!). But I will ask...what do you think you love language is? And do you have any idea what love language your significant other speaks?