Home > Marriage > Communication > Across the Miles
Across the Miles
With the right plan, distance couldn't keep us apart.
by Renny Gehman | posted 9/12/2008
 2 of 2
Even in the Old Testament we find reading out loud is an important part of worship. In Nehemiah 8, Ezra reads the Book of the Law "aloud from daybreak till noon … in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively" (Nehemiah 8:3).
What it did
Reading aloud drew us together. We first noticed this when we realized that we were verbalizing our love more often. It was as if hearing each other made us more conscious of our words—not just how we said things, but what we said. We even started another new pattern: seeing who could say "I love you" the most.
When the six months were completed, Bob returned home. During those months, we looked forward—indeed hung on—to those daily interactions. The biggest question for me was simple. Why did it take a separation to make us schedule devotional and couple time together? I had no trouble making time for Bob's morning call in my routine. Neither did Bob. We knew that 6:30 a.m. was our phone appointment. And late in the evening (we didn't have a "set" evening time because it depended on our work schedules), we knew we'd talk again.
We made the time because we had to. Now that we're back in the same house, we still look forward to our daily devotions, and we're still reading books together. Bob and I are excited to share new ideas—and keep a list of books to read whether he's home or on the road. We're talking about reading through the Bible together in one year.
Why had we never thanked God for the gift of living in the same house and talking as much as we wanted for free? Now if we're having trouble getting through to each other, one of us will call the other's cell—even if we're in the same room. It's a light-hearted reminder to make time to talk.
Renny Gehman is a freelance author. She and her husband, Bob, have been married 37 years.
Copyright © 2006 by the author or Christianity Today International/Marriage Partnership magazine. Click here for reprint information on Marriage Partnership.
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