Marriage and Faith

Andy and I have been married for 12 years and together for 14. Our first couple of years were kind of rocky in the religion dept. We couldn't agree on a church to go to. I didn't feel comfortable unless we went to a Catholic church...I just couldn't feel God's presence in any of the churches that we went to unless it was our Sunday to be in the Catholic church (we alternated Sundays for awhile). I'm not saying that God wasn't present there, I just didn't feel His Presence like I do when we went to the Catholic church. It caused so many problems that we just quit going for awhile unless it was a holiday or something. When we had Deidra, we talked again and I mentioned that it would be easier to parent if we were both on the same page. A friend told us about her Catholic church out in the suburbs that was big and awesome and had a ton of different groups for all ages and we went a couple of Sundays and Andy said he'd go through the RCIA program to learn more about it. I was shocked and it was an answered prayer of mine. I went through the program classes with him and he entered the church on Easter vigil that coming year.

One thing has always bothered me though our whole marriage was that while I knew he was a Christian we never really had heart-to-heart talks about our faith and what God meant to us and visions for our family. What the kids learn about God really comes from me and what they learn in Sunday school and Awana. Andy doesn't really talk about that stuff with them. I was working with Emma one day on memorizing John 3:16 and Andy just rattled the verse off. I looked at him in shock. He said "do you really think that I'm some sort of heathen or something?" I told him again that I didn't, it's just that we don't talk about this stuff. He said he just feels that it's between him and God and nobody else. I told him that I didn't feel that it should have to be that way and that husbands and wives should share this stuff together. I left it alone after that.

I have been watching Joyce Meyer in the mornings lately..something to feed my soul before I start my mornings with the kids. And I get the Crosswalk devotions in email. The day that the kids were all baptized, he went to Confession, and he went to church on lunch hour yesterday and sent me a picture of the Cathedral saying "wish you were here with me." He's been talking to me in bits about things concerning his faith. Those little things mean so much to me. God is answering my prayers and we are starting to share our faith together. So awesome! I am so glad that we are sharing more and more and that Andy is starting to share this piece of himself with me.