Reconnect

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— John 1:12 (NIV) Hubby and I had a date night last weekend. I can't believe how long it has been since just the two of us had some time together that didn't entail watching TIVO'd episodes of CSI after putting little man down for the night. Nothing is more romantic and draws a couple together like watching beautiful people involved in every aspect of a criminal investigation that is wrapped up nicely in 48 minutes. (We don't have to watch the commercials!) In any event, after hubby works all day and is mentally exhausted, combined with my physical and mental exhaustion from being little fella's playmate, jungle gym and narrator in all stories, we're both so drained and ready to do nothing but relax. TIVO is just the pre-cursor to the heavy eyelids in which one or the other nudges the other to go to bed. AAAHHHH, I think back now to when we realized I was pregnant and we made the same statement that most parents-to-be proclaim prior to arrival of the new sheriff in town. "Our lives will not be any different than they are now. He is just going to have to fit into our way of life." OTFL (for those not text-savy -- that is On The Floor Laughing) - no really -- give me a minute -- my side hurts from the laughter. Oh, and I think I added -- "There will be date night every week." HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA ... Boy, were we disillusioned because as most new parents will tell you --that ain't happening!! Reality hit us almost 5 years ago when little man burst onto the scene. Our lives did change and he did not fit into our way of life like we planned. And date nights -- well they kind of fell by the wayside and we go out when we can -- usually every couple of months. But, I am not placing the blame on the little guy. The problem lies with his daddy and me. We made so many excuses - we're tired, he's sick, I'd just rather relax, let's spend time as a family, we have no sitter, etc. If you're a parent, you know the drill. Then one day, it seems like our only identities are that of parents and the individuals and couple that we were are hidden somewhere in the midst of hot wheels, swim lessons and responsibilities. It is important that hubby and I take time to reconnect. That's just what we did last Saturday night. I had the babysitter come over early (around 4pm) and hubby and I went out to dinner and we just talked. We talked about everything and anything, we laughed, we held hands, we just enjoyed being together. We then went to a movie and to be honest, I can't remember what we saw. But, I do remember just loving the uninterrupted time hubby and I had together. It may have only been a couple of hours of solace but it was just enough to let us both see that he and I were still there (not mommy and daddy) under the guise of family-life. Don't get me wrong, we both love our family and the time the three of us get to spend together. But, I now realize the importance of "our" time to recharge and reconnect with each other as man and woman. That will enable us to be better parents and set a positive example for our little guy as he grows to one day become a husband and father himself. The Lord desires for us to connect with Him on a regular basis as well. Because under all the chaos that life may have thrown at you, all the responsibilities you have and the many hats you wear -- you are still a child of God! He is your everything. Without Him, you cannot make it through all that you have on your plate. He desires relationship with you. He designed us to not only have relationship with each other but more importantly and innate to our design - to have relationship with Him. So, how about it -- will you make a date with the Lord and just spend time reconnecting and rejuvenating. Dear Lord - I thank you for my hubby. I thank you for my family. Praise you for allowing hubby and I to reconnect and remember what brought us together. Thank you for desiring a relationship with me. I pray that you help me to continue to make time for You each and every day of my life. I pray that you make me stronger and better equipped to handle the daily challenges of life. In the Precious Name of Jesus - AMEN Application:

• Do you and your spouse make time for one another on a regular basis? If not - how can you do this? It may be as simple as getting up 10 minutes early just to talk. Pray that the Lord will show you how to spend more quality time together.
• Do you make time to spend in relationship with the Lord? Not just praying and asking Him for things - but really getting to know Him and His heart?
• Pray that the Lord will open your eyes and heart to see how you can nurture the relationships in your life.