Who’s ever said- or just believed- that life will slow down next week? It’s one of those things we say often, knowing it’s not true, but more of a wish. But if we live in the future of “when things slow down” we miss the opportunity to love well even in the stressful times.
How do we love well in the crazy?
Seek to understand your spouse’s stress language. Joe and I learned to manage stress better when we realized that we don’t even define the same things as stressful . We also learned that we have different ways we alleviate our stress. Loving each other well is stepping outside of our own perspective
Be Kind. Basic kindness goes a long way when life is pulling at you from all sides. Joe and I try to sprinkle on “please” and “thank you” as much as possible. Just being told that I see you, and I appreciate you, makes the stress feel less.
Be generous with grace. We all feel entitled to grace when circumstances around us are crazy. Sometimes Joe and I have asked for grace pre-emptively, when we know we have a particularly harrowing day. But if we want to receive grace, we need to be willing to give that same grace. For us, that means lowering our expectations on what our spouse can do or be for us. The more trust that is built in your relationship, the more that kind of grace flows between us.
Depend on God’s strength first. When things around us are swirling, it’s tempting to make my husband the problem, or make him the solution. But in any every stressful situation, He is our refuge. We can cling to Jesus, pour our hearts out to Him and find peace!
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