Over the last few weeks I have felt personally convicted by the example Tim sets for me and our family.

I don’t know if it’s a mom thing, or what, but it is so easy for me to put Hannah and Zeke above Tim on my priority list. Our kids depend on us to feed them, bathe them, fix their toys, kiss their owwies — they need us for almost everything. Tim is a grown man and he can take care of his own needs.

Last week Tim made some delicious waffles for dinner for the family. He emptied a bag of frozen strawberries to heat up as a special topping and set them aside for him and I to enjoy while Hannah instead only had syrup on her waffles. I had an issue with this because Hannah loves strawberries, but that wasn’t the real issue: I have gotten in the habit of giving our kids the best of what we have and Tim and I can have what’s left. But Tim has his priorities straight.

Our marriage has to come first. I need to give my best to our marriage. Our kids won’t be secure if our marriage isn’t secure first.

I was convicted again when Tim was leaving to go out of town and had a long list of things to do before leaving. His list kept him busy until after the kids were in bed for the night, the last night he would be home for a few days. I was upset that Tim didn’t make a priority to spend time as a family, but in doing this, he made a priority to spend time alone with me.

Our kids will be fine if they miss out on a little time with us now in order to give mom and dad some time for our marriage. My marriage comes first. And for some reason this is a harder lesson than I expected.

QUESTION: How do you make sure your marriage is a higher priority than your children?