Daily Devotionals

By the time my husband and I got married, we had been together for 5 and 1/2 years. So even though we experienced glimpses of "newlywed bliss" (and still do), it was different than if we had been together for a shorter period of time.

So, shortly after we were married, I purchased a book called "The One Year Love Talk Devotional for Couples" by Les & Leslie Parrott (yes, I still chuckle at their names). This book is a way for us to connect for at least a few minutes each day, and for us to discuss the importance of faith in our lives and in our marriage. It also forces us to address some of the more difficult topics that we (like most couples) would rather avoid. I am confident that these conversations are imperative to a healthy relationship, and for us, the prompts that are provided in this book are necessary to get those conversations started.

Here is an example of a daily devotional, and will hopefully be something that speaks to you (as it has to me)!

"Tucked away in the corner of the basement of our house is a tightly wrapped box labeled, "for John Parrott—to be opened on his sixteenth birthday." There's a similar box earmarked for John's little brother, Jackson.

What does each of these homemade time capsules contain? A copy of the newspaper on the day the boy was born, his birth announcement, a letter from mom and Dad, and about a half dozen trinkets, photos, and memorabilia that are sure to generate conversation for a sixteen-year-old boy when he opens it on his birthday.

Time capsules aren't just for kids, of course. Instant archaeology has long been created by civic groups, schools, churches, and businesses. The first such capsule of note in America was the dream of a Civil War widow, Mrs. Charles Deihm. At the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition of 1876, Mrs. Deihm closed up some commemorative items in a "century safe" to be opened in 1976. president ford had it duly unsealed, revealing several items of historic Americana.

Iphigene Ochs Sulzberger, daughter of the publisher of the New York Times, buried a time capsule in the Times Tower in 1904 and was on hand to open it in 1964. In 1977 a two-disc gold record set titled Sounds of Earth was mounted on the Voyager 2 spacecraft before its launch. The set includes recordings of Chuck Berry, Mozart, and a human kiss, as well as instructions for playing them.

There's something intriguing to the human spirit about leaving messages and artifacts for future delivery. And it's a pretty good exercise to consider what you might put in a personal time capsule—especially at the start of a new year. 

That's why we want to suggest you consider a time capsule for your marriage. Whether you actually build one or not, consider what you might put into your time capsule. If it were to be opened in one hundred years by your grandchildren and great-grandchildren and you wanted them to know about your relationship specifically, what would you include? What artifacts would you want them to see and talk about as they relate to your marriage? It's a useful exercise, one that may help you be more intentional about your marital legacy.

While you're at it, what would you place in a time capsule to be opened on your fiftieth wedding anniversary? Do any artifacts come to mind? How about a simple letter from each of you to the other that won't be read until that day?

One of the truths about time capsules is that they are as much for the here and now as they are for the future. —Cathleen O'Connell