I could go on and on about how to communicate better, learn to forgive, or make time to really connect with your spouse, but that’s simply icing on the cake. The bedrock of my marriage has not been being the best wife, but being a fully devoted follower of Christ.
With that said, here are some of the spiritual practices that I’ve used over the years to send down deep spiritual roots in Christ, my firm foundation. He’s the One who has helped me and will help you weather the stormiest of marriage years and the messiest of marriage messes.
First of all, if you’re not a believer—one who has given your life to Christ and received God’s gift of salvation through Christ’s work on the cross—then click here to find out more. That’s the first step to building your spiritual foundation.
Second, I make time daily to connect with God. And here are some of the rituals and practices that keep me engaged and growing …
Highlight Key Verses:
I read through a passage of scripture and highlight verses that are significant. I prefer using Prismacolor pencils for this because they have a soft core that’s easy to highlight with and won’t bleed through or rub off after marking. You can purchase individual pencils at most craft stores.
Looking for these key verses has become like a treasure hunt to me—really building excitement and anticipation for my next quiet time.
Record Key Verses:
I’ve recently begun to build a database of hundreds of key verses that I organize by topic. Whenever I find a key verse in my reading, I type it out in that database under the right heading—sometimes adding it under several headings. I have over 60 pages of Bible quotes so far and it’s been great for copying and pasting to FB, Twitter or just providing to those in need of a word of encouragement.
Praying by Computer:
Yes, you read that right. I type so much faster than I write. And I used to lose track of my thoughts or even—gasp—fall asleep on my prayers in the past. Now I stay engaged and my prayers flow from my fingertips as well as my heart. I feel like God speaks more clearly to me during these computer prayer sessions. Can’t say exactly why. But I also appreciate being able to reflect back on what I prayed yesterday, last week, or even two years ago! I keep my prayers in an unusually named file, but you can also password-protect your prayer file, (if you’re especially skittish about it getting into the wrong hands).
Keep a Daily Thought on Hand:
I literally write mine on the palm of my left hand so that I can be reminded of it throughout my day! My only problem has been that marks made by Sharpies don’t last through multiple hand washings. So I’ve found that a laundry marker stays on my hand through many more washes. I also write out my thought on a sticky note and post it where I look regularly and notate it in my prayer file each day as well.
Pray with Friends:
I pray not only with a specific group of friends who are fellow wives, but I also pray daily for those friends (and more) on my own. And they do so for me as well. This has enriched my spiritual life in more ways than I can count. Be sure to pray only with friends of your gender, so as to avoid any emotional entanglements that might occur naturally in such an intimate setting as praying.
These are just a few of the practices that I do in order to keep my spiritual life strong and growing. I hope that you might benefit from some of the ideas I’ve shared. It should be the first area you tackle if your marriage is messy!
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Worthy Bible Studies
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