Surviving Winter: Loving When It's Cold

Have you ever looked at your spouse across the room and felt absolutely nothing? Just a freezing mist, a vast distance, and the terrifying thought, 'How did we get here?' Welcome to the winter of marriage. Believe it or not, it is completely normal to go through seasons where loving feels more like heavy labor than a Hollywood romantic comedy.

When the cold suddenly hits our relationship, our first instinct is to panic. We think that because the butterflies have disappeared and the warmth has vanished, the marriage is dead and it is time to pack our bags. But this is where we must remember the purpose of the covenant: our commitment is the winter shelter. It is that sturdy house that protects us when the emotional weather outside gets rough and we feel nothing.

In this season, feelings simply pack their bags and leave. Apathy, exhaustion, and chronic conflicts settle in like a heavy blizzard against our windows. You might go to sleep with your backs to each other, divided by an invisible wall of accumulated resentments, bills to pay, and the sheer fatigue of daily routine.