Rob Bell - The ZimZum of Love - A New Way of Understanding Marriage

You cannot keep your issues to yourself. The space is too responsive. It’s like a motion sensor, picking up the most subtle movements. You can’t hide anything, even if you think you’re hiding it.

It’s an illusion that whatever it is, “it doesn’t affect the marriage,” or “what they don’t know won’t hurt them,” or “it’s not a big deal.”

It does, it will, and it is.

You’re intentional about your own health because your marriage will only be as healthy as the least healthy one of you.

As counterintuitive as it may seem, taking care of yourself is one of the best gifts you can give the person you are married to. This includes exercising, eating well, getting enough sleep, engaging in regular practices that feed your soul—these are all essential to giving your best to the person you love.

This isn’t about perfection; it’s about the direction you’re headed in, the trajectory you’re on, both of you—and the two of you together—refusing to settle, pursuing the best possible life together.

Pain and discomfort and the gnawing sense that things could be better are your friends. They wake you up, they stir you to action, they motivate you to get help. This may mean initiating difficult conversations, finding help in a book or class or retreat, or seeing a therapist or doctor or spiritual director.

Sometimes a disruption is the best thing for the space between you.

R:That trip to California was a disruption for me. When we returned, I began to uncover with a counselor the reasons why I had been pushing myself so hard. It was life changing.

Sometimes the problem is you.

You brought something to the space that you haven’t dealt with, and it’s affecting you both. Until you deal with it, it will continue to have a negative effect on the flow between you. The space, however, is highly responsive, and it’s surprising how even the smallest steps toward health can significantly change things.

You zimzum, they zimzum, you know they’d do anything for you, you talk about what makes each of you thrive, the arrows go back and forth—that’s what creates the energetic flow between you.

But then there are the times when the arrows don’t feel equal. Times when you feel like you’re doing your part, but they aren’t doing theirs. In those moments it’s easy to become resentful, keeping track of who’s doing what, clutching your scorecard.

You know the scorecard, right?

The scorecard is how we keep track of how much we’re giving and how much they’re giving and who’s sacrificing more and who’s carrying more of the weight and who’s got the lighter load and who’s taken on more of the responsibility so that the other can pursue their goals and who’s working harder at the relationship and who owes more and who’s turn it is to empty the dishwasher. The scorecard is at the heart of an extraordinary number of fights; it lurks in the shadows of lots of heated discussions, and if it’s not addressed and is left unchecked, it can poison the space between you.

The scorecard is rooted in resentment, and the space between you is highly responsive to resentment. Even the slightest tremors of bitterness can block the flow of love.

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