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Live Like You Were Dating - Crosswalk the Devotional - March 20
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Truths observed at the intersection of faith and life by Crosswalk.com editors Crosswalk: The Devoti
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Truths observed at the intersection of faith and life by Crosswalk.com editors [Crosswalk.com Logo]( Crosswalk: The Devotional [Devotionals]( [Newsletters]( [e-Cards]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Live Like You Were Dating
by Shawn McEvoy Let marriage be held in honor among allâ¦" - [Hebrews 13:4]( I heard the Tim McGraw song Live Like You Were Dying in the most unusual of places the other day - my head as I slept. Normally that's a huge annoyance, a song looping through my brain while I toss and turn. This time, however, I think I was so relieved it wasn't something by The Wiggles or VeggieTales that I went along for the ride. Only thing is, I began to dream along with the music. As weird as that sounds, the dream varied just a bit from the theme of the song, which is: in order to make sure we don't take life for granted, we should check off that list of things we've always wanted to do, and do not go gently into that good night, but rather sit on top of angry bulls. Or something like that. Basically, you should act like you don't have much time left, because really you don't. But the montage that played upon my closed eyelids wasn't about me, important moments, my death, or things I want to accomplish. Instead, I was treated to a slide show of moments from my courtship with Valerie. What fun life was then! The things we did, the places we went, the way we treasured each other and every moment together... I awoke in a very good mood, even if I was confused about the connection between the song and the dream. On my drive to work some of the words from the song slapped me upside the head: "⦠and I loved deeper, and I spoke sweeter, and I gave forgiveness I'd been denyingâ¦" Ah, I see⦠that sentence sounded a lot like the guy I was when I was putting the moves on the tall, big-eyed, opinionated babe who liked my jokes. It did not sound so much like the ten-year married version of myself, who has been going through the motions. Still I wondered: how can I live like I did then, when I have none of the freedoms afforded me during those years? Unless I'm mistaken, the very word "dating" implies occasionally going on a date... I interrupt this devotional because at this point Valerie calls me from her cell phone saying she can't get the car to start. The ignition won't turn because the steering wheel is also locked, and she can't jiggle the keys or wheel enough to get either to turn. She's embarrassed, and I can hear her banging and straining away on the dashboard components. She thinks she's gonna be stuck in someone's driveway all day. I suggest looking in the owner's manual to see if there are suggestions. There aren't. We decide she'll have to call a Toyota dealer or Triple-A because I'm too far away to help. 10 minutes later I check in on her because I read online that she might want to use the parking break from now on to prevent this from happening again. Turns out that wasn't the problem. It was that she was trying to start her Camry with the key to my Corolla⦠And so it occurs to me - not only can I count on my wife to spice up our life with a good laugh once in a while, but maybe our dating engine simply has to be redefined. It still exists, but it's not going to be started with the same set of keys that got it running 10 years ago. That doesn't mean it's not a reliable vehicle for shuttling us to all of life's events in a manner befitting our [faith](. If I could find a way to regularly appear as outwardly joyful as I inwardly feel whenever I reflect on how blessed I am to have such a mate, I'd go a long way towards helping fulfill the purpose for this marriage, which Valerie and I long ago decided was to be better for the Lord than we are apart. That felt easier when we were dating. So with a cue from Tim McGraw, here are some ideas⦠Loving Deeper
"Love does not seek its ownâ¦" ([1 Corinthians 13:5]( [CONTINUE READING →]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( You May Also Like: [The Holy Week - What Is the Significance of the 8 Days of Easter?]( Liz Kanoy Following are the eight days of Easter explained in more detail, to make your observance of Easter more meaningful this year. [CONTINUE READING →]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [10 Mighty Prayers for Your Adult Children]( Lia Martin If you have let go of children who have grown into their own lives of unknown wonder, here are 10 heartfelt prayers you can pray to uphold them as they discover Godâs will and way. [CONTINUE READING →]( [Crosswalk.com Logo]( [Read about Salem Web Network]( | [Unsubscribe From This Email](
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