Welcome friend.
Marriage can feel beautiful,
But it can also feel heavy.
Sometimes we carry burdens we weren't meant to carry alone.
Doubts,
Misunderstandings,
Unspoken hurts,
And the weight of trying to make everything work.
I want to invite you today to pause with me to step away from the weight,
Even if only for a few moments,
And see yourself and your marriage through God's eyes.
He sees your faithfulness,
Your love,
Your patience.
He knows the struggles you face,
And he longs to meet you in the quiet spaces where your heart feels the heaviest.
This meditation is a space to rest in Jesus,
To release what is not yours to bear,
And to be renewed from the inside out.
As we move together through scripture-based affirmations,
Let's invite his perspective to soften,
Strengthen,
And guide us,
Not to change our husbands or our partners,
But to transform our own hearts.
And maybe in doing so,
Somehow it may transform theirs as well.
So let's take a deep breath and begin.
Find a comfortable position,
Whether you are sitting down on a chair,
On the floor,
Maybe you are laying down in bed,
Wherever you are.
Spend the next couple of seconds getting comfortable.
Allow your shoulders to drop.
Notice your jaw and if it feels tight,
Try to focus on unclenching your jaw.
You can even massage your jaw tenderly in hopes to show your body that it is okay to relax.
And together,
Let us take a deep breath in through our nose,
And gently exhale through your mouth.
We'll do that a couple more times together.
Again,
Breathe in through your nose,
And out through your mouth.
And one more time,
Inhale through your nose,
And exhale any tension that's left,
And feel it leaving your body.
Holy Spirit,
We invite you here right now.
We acknowledge that you are near.
We acknowledge that you are present.
In Psalm 4610,
In God's word,
He says,
Be still and know that I am God.
We are allowing ourselves to be still.
God is here with us.
Now,
If you are here today,
You may feel tired,
Tired of explaining yourself,
Tired of carrying the emotional weight alone.
You may be feeling misunderstood.
Notice where that heaviness lives in your body.
Is it in your neck?
Is it in your lower back?
Just focus on where that tension is.
You do not need to judge it.
We just are simply noticing.
And to bring it back to God,
He says in Psalm 3418,
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted.
You are not weak for feeling weary and tired.
God is near right now.
He is holding you,
And he is your safe space.
Jesus says,
Come to me,
All who are weary and burdened,
And I will give you rest.
You are allowed to rest.
And now let's focus on releasing control and surrendering.
Imagine placing the weight you've been carrying into God's hands.
The conversations,
Maybe the arguments,
The disappointment,
And the longing to be understood.
God,
We release what is not ours to carry.
And in your word,
You ask us to cast all of our anxiety onto you because you care for us.
We do not have to manage everything.
God is holding what we are releasing in this moment.
Now let's focus on resetting,
Taking another deep breath in.
Gently hold it and slowly release.
And again,
Breathe in.
God says,
My grace is sufficient for you.
You do not need to be stronger than God.
God's grace meets us right here.
Holy Spirit,
Please reset our hearts.
Quiet what is loud,
What feels like we need to solve right now,
And restore what feels depleted.
And I want to remind us that we do have the fruit of the Spirit within us.
As we turn inward,
Not to change another person,
But we are looking to you,
God,
To renew us from the inside out.
You have said in your word,
Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
We know that that's true.
So Holy Spirit,
Please,
Please grow your fruit in us.
Grow love in me.
Love is patient.
It is kind.
We can love without losing ourselves.
Grow peace in us.
The peace of God will guard your heart and your mind.
Our minds are protected by you,
Lord.
Grow patience in me.
Let perseverance finish its work.
I am being formed and not forgotten.
Now,
Please,
Lord,
Grow gentleness in me.
A gentle answer turns away wrath.
You say that in your word.
We can respond with softness and with strength.
We don't need to respond with anger or frustration,
Lord.
You build up gentleness in us.
And please,
Lord,
Grow self-control.
God has not given you a spirit of fear,
But of power,
Love,
And a sound mind.
We are not ruled by emotion.
We are led by the Spirit.
So,
Lord,
Please,
In moments where we are tempted to fall back into fear,
I pray that we would be reminded we have a sound mind to respond.
And notice which fruit that you are focused on most today,
What is resonating with you most,
And allow God to cultivate that and to bring that into view right now.
Feel free to just focus on the word,
Focus on the feeling of what it looks like to have that fruit grow in you right now.
So,
Right now,
We're just going to simply listen and notice God growing that fruit in us.
And I just want to remind you of another scripture that the Lord will fight for you.
You need only to be still.
And in this case,
Stillness is not inaction.
It is trusting Him and knowing that He will fight for you and He knows what's best.
So,
As we close today in prayer,
I want to just ask God to soften our heart without weakening our boundaries,
Renew our minds without dismissing any pain.
As a reminder,
You say,
Create a clean heart in me,
Oh God,
And renew a right spirit within me.
Help me walk in wisdom,
Rest in truth,
And trust you with what I cannot control.
He who began a good work in me will carry it on to completion.
We are not alone.
We are held and we are being transformed.
I pray that you carry this with you today and if anything arises,
That the Holy Spirit would take over,
That the flesh would take a step back and relent,
And that you would feel the fruit of the Spirit welling up in you as it spills over into your life.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
