Love always brings difficulties, that is true, but the good side of it is that it gives energy. Vincent van GoghDroves of people are analyzing energy sources, how to save energy, and new ways to create energy. As the cost of energy continues to escalate, we seek to conserve energy as we plug anything that drains energy.
We caulk around windows, put insulation in the attic, and turn off lights. Then we look for ways to make the energy usage more efficient.
Marriage has it’s own energy—both the drains and the sources. Many marriages fail because the couples have no energy to resolve the difficulties between them; the energy goes out faster than it comes in.
Whole cities sometimes have black-outs or brown-outs when the demand for energy supersedes the supply.
Married couples who ignore the signs of the “brown-out” often move on to a “black-out” …. and nothing is left to recharge the relationship.
To energize your marriage, first we look at what is draining the energy out and seek to plug the drains.
Common energy drains are often a lack of time together, demands of raising kids, hurtful words, work, differences, physical fatigue, expectations of others (some people suck the life out of you), screen time (computer, video games), financial stress, hobbies, fear, anxiety, and worry.
Instead of attacking or blaming the other person, we need to examine what is sapping away our strength.
It is wise to direct your anger towards problems -- not people; to focus your energies on answers -- not excuses. William Arthur Ward
To preserve the strength of the marriage, we must not let the difficulties and challenges of life come between us as a husband and wife. As quoted above, we need to focus on reducing the stress of the problem, not being angry at the people who are involved.
We must RECHARGE. Just as a rechargeable battery takes time to recharge, recharging our marriage takes time—nothing takes the place of time together!
We cannot create energy, all energy has a source. Our part is to plug into that source.
ENERGY SOURCE ....
If you have 120 volts of electricity coming into your house but you have broken wiring, you may turn on the switch, but nothing works - no lights come on, the stove doesn't warm, the radio doesn't turn on. Why? Because you have broken wiring. The power is ready to do its work..., but where there is broken wiring, there is no power. Unity is necessary among the children of God if we are going to know the flow of power...to see God do His wonders. A. W. Tozer
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 2 Peter 1:3
The Holy Spirit, who dwells in us, has the power that we need to bring the energy to our marriage. If we overlook or bypass the true source of our renewable energy, we will burn out—“dead battery syndrome.”
He has given us that power but He doesn’t force us to plug into it. We can have all the power we need but can still have a dead battery if we aren’t plugged in.
God’s desire is not that we exhaust our lives with the many activities or even with ministry, but that we spend time with Him. Jesus did it. The disciples did. Why would we be different?
