Marriage requires a ton of investment and intentional growth. My husband and I have faced our share of challenges and I am confident will continue to face them, ones that both weaken us and help us grow. One of the greatest struggles we have encountered comes naturally to think about, but is difficult see happen in our relationship and that is seeing us and believing we are a team!
As husband and wife, we aim to be a team, we desire to work together in all areas of life, and we are passionate about experiencing marriage together in a joyful way. However, when disagreements, frustrations and sins affect us, we tend to do everything else but be a team. Why? Because it requires investment, work, and often times the laying down of oneself for the sake of the other. And well either of our flesh just doesn’t like those things.
Yet, if we truly want a long-lasting, thriving relationship, we must constantly push towards the goal of being a team. Being ONE!
Team Us – Marriage Together by Ashleigh Slater is a great resource to address why being a team in marriage is important, how a husband and wife can practically live as a team, and it gives the hope of having a great marriage because of the positive affects of being a team together.
Ashleigh dives into this marriage necessity as she shares personal stories from her own marriage with Ted, detailing the experiences they endured that threatened to tear them apart. She shares lists throughout the book that highlight practical ways a husband and wife can actively and intentionally work towards being a team in marriage. She also includes a section of questions at the end of each chapter that are perfect to go over together with your spouse. They are engaging and will help you go deeper in your communication with your spouse.
Oh and throughout the book are snippets from her husband Ted adding to the content and sharing his voice and experience as a husband. I enjoyed this part so much, but actually wanted more from his side of the stories than what was shared! It was a very interesting aspect of the book that I really appreciated.
What I got out of it:
There were many areas of Team Us that I highlighted or made a note by. One in particular was on page 110 as Ashleigh unveils herself to the reader a very serious heart issue that plagued her and her husband. After attending a church service she shares with her husband thoughts of suicide and he too confided that he was tempted to believe he was not worth living as well. This sensitive telling connected with a deep part of my heart and the message I aim to share through Unveiled Wife and that is the importance of being honest and transparent in marriage. Ashleigh goes on to explain,
As scary as it was to utter these things, there was a freedom in our confession. It, paired with prayers from our church family, gave us the hope we needed to keep going.
I thought that statement was powerful and a vital message to share with other couples. Throughout the rest of the book Ashleigh emphasizes the significance of having a solid church community, people willing to help you and support you through difficult times of marriage.
At the end of the book she details how to go about confiding in friends and how a married couple can do so appropriately, with boundaries. I appreciate her thoroughness on this topic and how she encourages couples to seek the help of others.
Friends who spurred us on to finish strong together. (Page 137)
I agree with her 100% because I can attest that it was God moving through people who became our close friends that helped us through our darkest hours.
Team Us: Marriage Together is a resource that I believe will help husbands and wives put their relationship into the right perspective and give them hope and motivation to aim for teamwork!
