| For the first 26 years of our marriage, Tim and I didn't pray together, we didn't have family devotions, and outside of being at church, we didn't do anything together spiritually unless there was a big crisis. It wasn't until we finally came to the end of our resources that we realized we were going to have to pray together or we were never going to survive. So we promised that before falling asleep at night, we would hold hands and pray. After we started to do this, we have seen everything else in our spiritual life branch out and grow slowly. Tim and I did not have the perfect marriage….for one thing, no such thing exists when one sinner marries another. But indwelling sin caused us to miss opportunities to comfort and affirm each other, made me overly critical ("I'm just trying to be helpful!") and Tim overly sensitive, and allowed us to miss opportunities to encourage and affirm one another. On the bright side, our sons have told us that seeing us apologize and repent to one another was a major factor in them taking our faith seriously. Just days before Tim's death we were still repenting to one another. As Tim said in The Meaning of Marriage, we are one day in heaven going to see one another and exclaim, "I always knew you could be like this!" Marriage is a powerful vehicle by which God allows us to help one another become who He means us to be. | 
