Love Stories

The Newlywed Game

Jim and I love our church and are part of a great Sunday School class. It’s filled with great couples who love God and love each other and is a tremendous blessing in our lives!

When the class got together for this year’s Christmas party, my eyes were opened to something important. It happened when we played The Newlywed Game. Jim was on the road, so one of the other girls and I, whose husband was also out of town, helped host the game.

Just as the game is played, we put the guys in one room and asked them questions, put the girls in another room and asked them questions, then had everyone return to the main room to compare answers.

But for a few exceptions, the couples who predominately got their answers correct were the ones who’ve been married for the shortest amount of time. I found that to be very interesting. You would think that the couples who have been married the longest would have gotten the most answers correct. They’ve had the most time together, they should know each other the best. Right? Yet, in reality, it was the complete opposite.

Since that night, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking on this and have come to a realization. More time together gives you more opportunity to know one another, but it also gives you more time to grow apart.

Think about it. You meet and fall in love. You want to know all about that person so you talk, ask questions, compliment one another, talk some more, gaze into one another’s eyes, talk some more and spend as much time together as possible. Then you get married. You begin learning how to blend two personalities into one relationship. Life gets hectic. You work on learning how to handle money together. You buy a house. You work hard to pay for it. You have kids. Life gets REALLY busy. More bills accumulate therefore you need to work more. Now, you have more stress and less time for one another. Get the picture?

What happened to spending time together? Gazing into one another’s eyes? For most couples, the relationship stuff gets lost in the busyness of life. Usually somewhere between paying the bills and the baby trying to flush the puppy down the toilet.

If we want to be truly successful in our marriages, we need to stay interested in what interests each other. In spite of the busyness, the obligations, and the pressures that life can bring. Because when it comes down it, it’s the being together part that gets you through.

Melissa Brady
http://www.jimandmelissabrady.com