Skip to main content

Cookie Cutter Marriage

 Is your marriage like a cookie?  Maybe it's sweet.  Maybe it's comforting.  Maybe it's round (symbolic of the continuity of the rings).  Whatever cookie you feel your marriage may most resemble, and the possibilities are endless, they all require some of the same ingredients to be tasty and successful.

If we were to examine several cookie recipes, we would see just how many variations there are.  You have numerous chocolate chip, chocolate oatmeal, peanut butter, sugar, and many many more that we could name off.

But what makes a cookie a cookie?  Most cookie recipes call for some combination of butter, sugar, flour, and eggs.  This where it gets fun.  From here, you can add the flavor(s) that you and your family enjoy!  Do you want to add fruit, candy, chocolate?  Again, the possibilities are endless.

The same is true in our marriages.  There are some core "ingredients" that we all need - love, trust, compassion, faithfulness, and a whole lot grace.  But after those core ingredients it's up to you.  

Maybe he likes to travel a lot - maybe she prefers to stay in.  Some couples will cook out - some prefer to dine out.  Some love large groups hanging out -some value quiet alone time.  And quite often, you may have spouses who enjoy different activities because the old saying is true that opposites attract. 

That leaves me with the last major ingredient that comes to mind right now - compromise.  With out it, our marriages will wind up bitter, embattled, and unhappy.  It's all about give and take.  

As your marriage and family grows and changes, your preferred flavors may change as well.  It's okay to go from the couple who used to go out on date nights to quiet fancy restaurants every weekend to the couple who now considers Chick-fil-A "fine dining."  Maybe you went from TV night where you caught up on your favorite shows quietly together to movie night where you watch the latest animated PG film with popcorn and 3 kids.  A cookie is still a cookie regardless of the flavors that have been added in.  

What truly matters in our marriages is not the type of cookie, it's our baking partner.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2020 is Hindsight...Finally!

Wow, what a year! 2020 could literally be an entire decade, maybe more, of history, change, and lessons rolled up into these twelve months. While many aspects of 2020 were kind of sucky and we would like to forget them, it will certainly be a year to remember. And it will be enlightening when this year is looked back on in 10, 25, or 50 years to be discussed. I wonder if we'll seem like geniuses or idiots? Probably both to some extent! While there is so much that I could consider and analyze about this year, I'll try to break some of it down into four dimensions - Physical, Spiritual, Mental, and Social/Emotional. These are events and happenings from my world and perspective and I'm trying to be open in sharing and would love to hear from others on events you found most transforming. Physical When COVID cause gyms to close, that messed me up. Our town and state were late to be hit with severe cases and therefore later than many across the country to close up shop. I'm n...
Post a Comment
Read more

Who Wants to be Dilos?

You're probably wondering if that's a typo or not. While doing a search for these letters did actually reveal that there is a brand and some fictional character out there with this name - my real intent was to show that order matters. You see, if we reverse the letters, you then spell the word, S-O-L-I-D. Yet far too many of us are operating with a Dilos mindset instead of getting our priorities in order and becoming Solid. We chase money like it's the most important thing in the world. And while it's certainly necessary, if money is the number one goal of any individual, or even any business, failure is surely on the horizon. To better understand the significance of the order, let's go through them backwards. Dollars. Yes, money matters. But what good is all the money in the world if you're "dumb as a box of rocks" and lack the next component, Intelligence, and don't know how to manage (or keep) your wealth? Intelligence. Let's say yo...
Post a Comment
Read more

The New Normal

When all of this COVID, Coronavirus, and pandemic talk first started, I literally got sick of hearing the phrase, "the new normal."  I heard sermons preached talking about what is normal.  I even preached one that I titled, "The Next Normal."  But what if these "new normal" people are actually onto something? When I was growing up, a normal summer consisted of a lot of time with Mom.  She was a school teacher so we were all out for several (probably stressful) months together.  She, my brother, and sister would spent countless hours at the pool and make several trips each year to stay at my aunt's house in the lower part of the state, about 30 minutes from the beach.  That was normal for me. But now, 30ish years or so later, life for my children (and their precious little grandchildren) looks very different - almost like there's a new normal in town.   My parents worked hard, sacrificed, and saved for years before purchasing a lake house in 2010 - ...
Post a Comment
Read more