Date Nights & Devotions

Like Tim Challies and his wife, we are not the best at date nights. While we know friends who make it a point to have a date every week, we never could sustain that. But for years, we were pretty good at going on dates twice per month, and getting away by ourselves at least once per year.

Of course, us being together only on weekends for 13 weeks put a hurt on our dating life. But we knew it was only for a season that we would have this sense of isolation, and we made do. And we were thankful for the opportunity to have a wedding in Charleston this past weekend, that included a dinner cruise for a reception! (Our daughter, Hannah, was very disappointed that she couldn't join us.)

In his recent article, Date Nights & Devotions, reminds us the reason why we date -- to enjoy time together, not just to accumulate knowledge about the other person. And he connects this with the purpose behind our devotional time with God. He writes,

"What if the point of devotions is less about learning about God and more about spending time with God? What if it’s less about Bible study and more about building relational intimacy? What would change about our devotions if instead of trying to learn about God, we focused instead on spending time with God, time spent hearing from him through his Word and speaking to him through prayer? If this is the case it doesn’t much matter what we remember at the end of it because the joy has been in the moment, the value has been in the time spent together. The joy of dating isn’t in the aftermath but in the moment. And I think the same can be true with our devotions."

Take time to read and meditate on his post. It will encourage you in your marriage, and in your relationship with the Lord. Also, be sure to check out his follow up article, Pursuing Relationship.