“I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” Philippians 3:8

I was surprised when, the day before yesterday, Katie told me she had tomorrow off! It was going to be a Monday, a day when she usually works. I was registering surprise when I asked her, “WHY?” “Because tomorrow is Presidents Day,” she said! Upon hearing that, a smile came to my face, not because Presidents are so special to me, but because SHE is! “What are we gonna do?” I asked.

Days filled with routine, work and surprise work keep us both moving.  It seems that when there is any free time, we use it to regroup to think about what we have to do next and then begin to prepare for it! Now that I had unexpected free time WITH HER… everything stopped and the focus became US! “Why don’t we go kayaking?” She asked. When the activity began, I turned off my phone!

We have a really tough and sturdy tandem kayak. That means, like with a bike, the 2 of us can sit on 1 kayak and row together. Rowing TOGETHER is TOTALLY different than rowing separately in a single person kayak. EVERYTHING is affected. To go anywhere we need to row together in synced timing. Right.. Left… Right… Left. To make progress, the force used to row also needs to be similar.

We weren’t really going ANYWHERE, so speed had NOTHING to do with our journey. Mistakes along the way, such as hitting each other’s paddles and changing rhythm, were just part of the ride. At one point, she stopped rowing altogether, making some comment about being a kept woman as I continued to row. I’d already stopped a couple of times myself! We were going nowhere together!

My relationship with Jesus, in conjunction with my relationship with Katie, is just about that… relationship! The goal is NOT to GET somewhere. The whole point is to simply be together… rowing or nor rowing, moving or stopped, turning or straight-lining it. It was about enjoying the company of ‘The One’ I have chosen to be my favorite. Riding together with Jesus is ALWAYS time WELL spent!

Are you spending quality, planned time with Jesus? Your Spouse? If so, which one of you is in the front? Realizing that, in a tandem kayak, as opposed to a tandem bicycle, the one in the back is the one who actually STEERS, who is steering YOUR vessel. Do you sometimes take time to simply ‘enjoy the ride’ and ‘get to know Him and them better?’