It is quite amazing what a seed can produce. With the right conditions, life springs forth, producing a good harvest. Under the wrong conditions, it dies and the life within goes with it.
In our personal lives, seeds are planted. Seeds of hope, encouragement, faith, joy, empowerment, and more. Under good conditions, these seeds flourish and grow to produce life. Under negative conditions, they die and in their place, a different kind of seed emerges. We call them weeds. It seems they can grow under any condition. Seeds of doubt, bitterness, anger, faithlessness, and more.
Whatever seeds are planted in our personal lives we naturally bring into a relationship. Marriages are impacted by the seeds that exist and the fruit they produce. We can tell which seeds are dominant merely by examining the condition of the marriage. Is it happy and strong? Vibrant and enriching? Or does it feel like death warmed over? What condition does your marriage seem to be in right now?
If things are not as they could be, one way to turn things around is to
Determine to nurture the good seeds that are providing a positive harvest and starve out those that are not producing the life necessary for a healthy marriage.
Next, plant healthier seeds. Those that will produce the desired harvest in our personal lives, and in return, bring forth a change in our marriage.
Identify the weeds and pull them out by the root.
Another way is to have a better sense of what your priorities are, and that of your spouse. Sometimes what we think is the most important is not the same for our mate. These priorities change throughout a marriage relationship. When this happens things become disjointed. Two people are not quite in sync, or as is often stated, "On the same page".
There is a fun exercise that a couple can do to help in this process. Below is a Word document that you can download. It is the "Marriage Needs Survey" form created just for this occasion. Download it, follow the instructions, and have an open discussion with your spouse.
Until next time, we wish you LOVE, JOY & PEACE!
Brad & Yvonne
