“ Replacing the busyness of childrearing with the busyness of activities might hinder you from growth in the relationships that matter most.”
basis? Why not pick a time and place where you can meet with God each day? There are plenty of Bible reading plans / apps that you can choose from. Think about what you are reading. How do you see God’ s character and God’ s grace in what you are reading? Talk to him about it. Entrust yourself to him as you pray. Entrust your spouse to him. Entrust your now-adult kids to him. You might find a new peace and joy in your soul that you have not experienced in a long time.
“ Replacing the busyness of childrearing with the busyness of activities might hinder you from growth in the relationships that matter most.”
Your relationship with your spouse. Many couples come face-to-face with the sad— even scary— realization in the early days of the empty nest that they hardly know each other. So much time, energy, and attention was poured into the kids year after year that the husband and wife slowly drifted apart without anyone hearing the alarm bells. Now, with the kids gone, the husband and wife look across the table at one another and ask, Who is this person? Maybe you feel more like coworkers—“ coparents”— than husband and wife.
You might find yourself at a relational crossroads. Do you go down the road of relational distance, disappointment, disillusionment, and even divorce? Some second-half couples do. The increase of marital breakups in the second half of life has even led to a new term: gray divorce. A growing number of older folks are seeing divorce attorneys. 3 Does it have to be that way? Might not God’ s grace empower you to go down the other road— the road of a gospel-sweetened marriage in your second half of life?
Even if you think, There’ s no hope for our marriage— it’ s dead, is not our God a miracle-working God? Isn’ t the One who raised Lazarus from the dead able to raise your dead marriage to life? Our all-powerful God is both able and willing to resurrect your marriage to new life. Why not humbly go to him, asking him to renew your hope in him and your love for your spouse? Talk to your spouse. Listen to each other— really listen. Pray together. Make time for each other. Read a marriage book together. Speak words of grace and love into one another’ s lives. Go to a marriage retreat together. Seek your pastor’ s or counselor’ s help. Growing your marriage will be a blessing to the two of you for years to come. And keeping your marriage vows through your second half of life will provide a wonderful model for those coming behind you— your kids and grandkids, as well as younger couples in your extended family and church.
Your relationship with your adult children. Though you are no longer parenting your kids in the same way as when they were younger, you are still their parent and they are still your kids. The relationship is still
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