Many of you have heard about, read about and seen the many many memes concerning the incident at Cincinnati Zoo recently. I wrestled with commenting about the mother, Michelle Gregg; the gorilla, Harambe; or even the decision made by the authorities at the zoo. I decided I wouldn’t voice my opinion about them but what I couldn’t shake was the similarities between parenting and marriage.
As the story goes, the mother took her kids to Cincinnati Zoo and they were looking at the gorillas. The mother took her eyes off of her 4-year-old and the rest of the story is pretty much national news, but…..
Aren’t you just like the mother when it comes to your marriage?
What?
I know you are shaking your head right now and trying to figure out where I’m going with this….oh don’t worry I’m about to tell you and step on a few toes.
See, the mother lost focus. Yep, she was DISTRACTED by something or someone else.
In a split second, her world changed and her child was in danger.
Now, change mother to your name.
Change the word child to marriage.
Let me tell you, many of you are operating in your marriage just like this mother. She wasn’t purposely careless but she didn’t keep her eye on the main target: her child but in your case, your marriage.
We get so busy with work, kids, civic obligations and just “other distractions” that we forget to really focus on what is important in our marriage: our connection to our spouse.
See when the mother took her hand off her child, she couldn’t feel him moving away.
See when you take your hand off your spouse or marriage, it is easy for a divide to occur and you are none the wiser.
Yes, the mother was in the same zoo with her son. She was in the same area with her son but her focus wasn’t on her son.
How many of you are in the same room with your spouse and still don’t know what is happening with your spouse or even to your marriage?
Let’s just keep it 100….
When we take our focus off the target (child or marriage), in a split second, life as you know it can change.
Many of you are experiencing your marriage being 15 feet down in the moat.
You turned your head just for a second to work longer hours, to be present and available to everyone but your spouse or even to be at every party or concert with your friends that you took your focus off the pulse of your marriage.
Things happen…
Mistakes are made…
But when you allowing distractions to consume your time, energy, and thoughts you pretty much are putting your spouse and marriage in the gorilla pit.
So as you are reading, watching and sharing information about the mom, the chid, and the gorilla, ask yourself: is this me and my marriage?
Learn from this incident!
It’s time for you to focus and pay attention to your child: your marriage.
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