Observing your own faith grow, can be a very magical experience! We often have a desire to talk to others about the positive changes in our lives and to share our excitement in this regard! What happens when we try to share our interest with someone important to us, and the feeling is not returned?
More and more women are experiencing relationship struggles regarding their faith incompatibility with their significant other. Many couples do not regularly attend church together, like was a custom in years past.
I can relate! This has always been an issue in my own relationship. As I have grown and matured in my faith over the years, my husband seems to have stayed stationary; in the same spot he was when we said our vows.
If partners do not understand each other’s stance on the topic of faith, this can become a source of deep relationship frustration!
Many times, I have found myself hoping and praying that my significant other could experience deepening faith, as I have. I have wished for him to experience the love of God in the beautiful ways that I have. But, after years and years of praying for him to experience what I have, I finally realize, that each person has their very own “rate of growth” when it comes to their relationship with God.
So rather than praying for your significant other to progress in faith in a manner similar to you, pray for them to progress in faith as God intends for them to progress!
As I began to pay closer attention to the “faith gap” between my significant other and myself, I realized that some of it was being amplified by my desires for him to understand me more fully. Who am I to expect that? All these years, I should have been praying for him to more fully understand GOD, not ‘my’ faith. Because really, his relationship with God will blossom in its own way and at its own time as God leads him to a fuller understanding of His blessings and the importance of a solid relationship with Him.
As you wait patiently, to watch God move in your loved one’s life; I would urge you to pray Romans 15:5-6, over your relationship (replacing “you” with “us/we”):
“May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (ESV)
And then, watch and wait. God is holding your relationship in His hands. We can be certain that He has a plan, and will bring it to fruition at the perfect time! So let us stop comparing our faith with that of our significant other, and let us embrace the difference and enjoy the ride as we wait and watch God move in their life, in His own time!
