Marriage & Family Life: Invest Time in Your Marriage
by Adam Storey | December 2, 2021
As I write this, my wife and I are only a couple days away from heading to a couple’s retreat at Broom Tree Retreat and Conference Center in South Dakota. It has been eight years since our last couple’s retreat, the World Wide Marriage Encounter that we attended in Ankeny. A couple of days ago we received a questionnaire, which asked us to tell some of our story, our greatest joys and challenges, and what we hoped to get out of this retreat. Filling out the survey got me thinking about our time away, and I have to say I have not been this excited for a particular weekend in a long time!
With four kids running around the house, and a fifth on the way, Kara and I can often feel like our marriage is on autopilot. We barely have enough time to discuss whose picking up the kids, or what needs to go on the grocery list, let alone a conversation about our marriage, our spiritual lives, or dreams for the future. So these next three days will be a welcome reprieve, a chance to set aside the noise of daily life and to dive deeply into our love, our challenges, and where God is acting in the midst of it all.
The questionnaire reminded me how much Kara and I need this time, and just as we need it, I think all couples need to take time for each other on a regular basis. We need times to set aside distractions, to waste time together, and to be vulnerable with each other. God’s plan for marriage is more than just “getting by,” or an endless list of precariously balanced obligations. He wants us to flourish and grow. He wants us to continually deepen our communion with our spouse. He wants us to be aware of his love and grace. And that happens when we make time for each other. When we find space and set aside urgent, but ultimately unimportant things, we are able to be attentive to each other, and attentive to God.
This retreat was Kara’s idea, but I’m so grateful that she signed us up! My prayer for the couples of the Diocese of Des Moines is that we’ll all regularly make time for our marriages. I’m confident that it will bear great fruit now, and eternally!