Focus on the Family Magazine - April/May 2020

couples / DREAMING TOGETHER
heart had become a shared dream
with my husband, and it finally
came to fruition 34 years later when
we adopted our daughter Annie.
While our desire was to add to
our family through adoption, your
dream is likely something entirely
different. Over the years, Greg and
I have asked couples about their
shared dreams, and we’ve heard
varying responses. The possibilities
are endless. However, the result is
that you’re united in vision and
pursuing a course of action that
will bless others. Every couple has a
great calling on their marriage—not
just individual callings. Take some
time to discuss these questions with
your spouse:
• What might God be calling us
to do together to serve Him and
bless others?
LISTEN NOW!
Dr. Greg and Erin Smalley reveal
how couples can create spiritual
and relational intimacy.
<strong>Focus</strong>OnTheFamily.ca/Radio
• What are some goals we can
pursue together?
• What do we want our life together
to be like five years from now?
Ten years? Twenty years?
• At the end of our life together,
what accomplishments do we
want to be able to look back on
and celebrate?
• What qualities do we want people
to remember about us?
• What kind of legacy do we want
to leave?
Pray about whatever the Lord
begins revealing to you and your
spouse. You may wait years before
you see God fulfill a dream He’s
given you . . . or He may act much
faster than you expect. Trust in His
timing. He knows what is best for
your marriage.
Some of you might be thinking:
Easy for you to say. It all worked out
for you. The truth is that we had
no idea how my adoption dream
would play out. However, we were
always confident in the Lord’s faithfulness.
Let Him lead; He knows the
outcome.
Dreaming is less about the final
outcome and much more about the
journey you’re on with your spouse
and the Lord.
The next steps in the
journey
Don’t ever stop dreaming together.
When one dream comes to fruition
or unexpectedly ends, start asking
the Lord what He has next for you
as a couple. Once Annie was home
and settled in, we began praying and
asking God, “What’s next, Lord?” We
believed that the Lord was calling us
to marriage ministry.
And within the next few months,
we accepted jobs at <strong>Focus</strong> on the
Family and made the move to
Colorado Springs, Colorado. Now
when we’re working with couples,
we experience a type of intimacy
and connection that is difficult to
explain.
We truly believe that God blesses
marriage relationships in amazing
ways when couples live out their
shared dreams. There’s something
beautiful about two souls imagining
a future together and then working
every day to accomplish that shared
vision. •
Erin Smalley serves as the strategic
spokesperson for <strong>Focus</strong> on the Family’s
marriage ministry. This article is adapted from
the new book Reconnected: Moving from
roommates to soulmates in marriage, which
she co-wrote with her husband, Dr. Greg
Smalley.
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FOCUS ON THE FAMILY
April / May 2020