The photo you see wasn’t planned or staged. In fact, my husband’s parents didn’t realize I was even taking a picture. They were staying with us the week of Thanksgiving, and when I walked out of my bedroom each morning, THIS is what I saw.
A team huddle.
I am not an athlete. Never have been, probably never will be. But as a mother of two boys who lived, breathed and played basketball from first to twelfth grade, I have noticed one thing- every game started and ended with a team huddle.
In the huddle, the coach would go over plays. Teammates would hype each other up. Despite their differences (and yes, there were differences), the team would come together with one goal. To win.
And so it is with marriage.
Marriage is challenging. Two people, two different upbringings, two different ways of handling finances, two different ways of resolving conflict. We bring in our past hurts, our struggles, our insecurities.
But what if we started each morning and ended each evening the same way.
A team huddle.
Even if it’s a quick verse and a prayer with your spouse or your children as you head out of the house. Something unexplainably unifying happens when we come together in prayer.
In Frances and Lisa Chan’s teaching on marriage, Frances talks about how several years into marriage, he realized, despite both of them having strong personalities, he and his wife didn’t fight a lot…and he realized why.
“Because we were always pursuing something. Striving side by side. The point of our marriage was not to make each other happy, but it was that we had something on earth to accomplish.”
They had a kingdom mandate, and Happiness became the byproduct!
He goes on to say, “It’s like a sports team going for a championship. The idea is that as you are pursuing that, unity happens. It’s not like these athletes are sitting in the locker room holding hands and talking. Becoming close is the byproduct of being on a mission together.”
Matthew 6:33 sums it up so well. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
When our vertical relationship with Jesus is right, our horizontal relationships with others will follow. Don’t underestimate the power of prayer…and if you’re married, don’t underestimate the unifying power of praying together.
~Binu
