The NFL Draft will begin approximately one hour from now. Millions of dollars will change hands. Men who have been training physically and mentally for years will finally reach their goal. They have to be stronger, faster, smarter, better than anyone at their position. They have invested everything they are and hopefully will be. The contracts will flow like water over the next few days. Each team grabbing and scrambling for the best fit and biggest need. Each player in the waiting room is as eager and jumpy as a batch of puppies at the pet store. All of them are thinking, "Pick me! Pick me! I'll be the best thing that ever happened to you! Please pick me!!!"
Does this translate to marriage? We prepare during dating to find the right person and our heart acts like a puppy in the pet store. "Please pick me! I want to be loved! I want to be cared for! I'm tired of being alone!" Then it really happens, somebody who we picked, picks us too. Then it's awesome! It's fun! Getting to know each other better. Getting to understand tendencies. Going into training camp together builds camaraderie (thank you Dr. Burks). It builds the teams identity. Then after all the good fun and relationship building, it happens.
The season starts.
All the training, relationship building, fun, and love gets tested to its limits. Teams who have chosen to be prepared for hard times and difficult situation (for richer and poorer, sickness and in health...) excel as a team, even during the losses. Teams that aren't prepared start to fall apart. Their eyes start to shift toward others failings and miss their own. They nitpick and blame. Argue and fight. Gripe and want out of their contract... God, the overall commissioner, doesn't want this for us. It looks bad on our team no matter how we try and hide it from others. He hates it when the team breaks down. It looks bad on us and God when we breakdown and push away any help. God calls us to work on our relationship with Him first and others second. If we put the author of life and love into our marriage, dead relationships filled with hate don't stand a chance.
I encourage you to choose to work on your team/marriage this month. Summer and all it's distractions are coming up quickly. Keep in mind the relationship you have with the Father and your spouse. Work hard on getting your communication up to speed. Prepare hard for the upcoming seasons of difficulty together and it will make them much easier to handle and win! May God bless!