So Glad We Went

It's almost gotten to the point where it is comical, but I can predict with almost 100% certainty, that on evenings when Eric and I have something planned, one of two things happens:

(1) We will get in a stupid fight; or
(2) We will get extremely tired.

I started noticing it when we first got married, and it was annoying. Unfortunately, it often ruined our evenings. Sometimes we would cancel our plans and other times we would suck it up and paste on a smile.

It also didn't help that Eric and I have two completely different communication styles when it comes to these moments. I am a "let's sit/sleep on it" type of girl. I like to give it some time to let the emotions subside. That way we can discuss things logically and not emotionally.

Eric is the type of person that likes to discuss everything in the moment so that the argument is over within a few minutes, instead of dragging it out over a few days.

And then, there were the fights about how to fight.......

As you can see, this would be very annoying to both of us. So it was during one of these occasions, that I brought it up to Eric. "Have you ever noticed that whenever we have plans, we either get in a stupid fight or get extremely tired?" "Do you suppose it's just satan trying to ruin our evening or trying to hinder what God may have planned for us tonight?"

As we observed this, we noticed something else. When we did fight the urge to cancel our plans, we usually had an incredible evening. And EVERYTIME, while we were driving home, we look at each other and say "I am so glad we went."

This past weekend was our church's Married Life Live: A Night Out for Couples. We had been looking forward to it for weeks. And of course, with all predictability, we both were extremely tired and all we wanted to do was rent a movie and veg on the couch.

As we were discussing whether to go or not, Eric said, "You know we're going to be so glad we went." But we still couldn't decide. Even as the babysitter arrived, we hadn't made up our minds. Knowing the pattern, we recognized that God must have something great in store for satan to be hindering our evening this much. So we went.

Now, I am a very outgoing person in social settings (most of the time), but I was not feeling it when we first arrived and I had decided in advance that I was not going to initiate a conversation with other couples, but if it happened, I'd be fully engaged.

Well, we ended up meeting an amazing couple and had a blast. Sure enough as predicted, Eric and I got in the car and immediately said "so glad we went!" It's comical now, because we recognize these tactics. We know one of them is going to happen and it has almost become an assurance of a great evening.

It is so easy for patterns, such as these, to go unrecognized. Overtime, they have the potential to burden a marriage, or any relationship for that matter. But when we take the time to recognize them, it's as if everything changes. Our evening used to be ruined, now we just laugh. It may still be a challenge for us to overcome the lethargy or silly fight in the moment, but we always know that God has something great in store for us and we will be.......so glad we went.