Matt and Rachel recently tried out the the first Great Date Experience that we launched at MarriedLife Live in August. Here is how their date went…
Matt and I had a great time helping make Married Life Live possible. The experience grew and stretched us both as a couple and as musicians. Sometimes, when we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of a big event, it’s easy to forget that the teaching applies to US as well! At the end of this past pay period, Matt and I looked at our finances and realised that we had stuck well within our budget, so it would be a perfect time to put into practice what we had learned at MarriedLife Live. We were going to have our first Great Date Experience.
One of the great aspects of MarriedLife Live was the “Great Date” take-home that we all received at the end of the program. Basically, the Great Date is a tool that couples can use to help facilitate quality time and connection. The Great Date sends couples on an adventure of a date, all while providing conversation starters and thought-provoking questions to keep the night interesting.
If it hadn’t been for the Great Date, our evening out would have had the potential to be a huge letdown. Since I had plenty of ideas on hand of where we should eat, I decided to surprise Matt and choose the destination of our dinner. I decided that we should try the Fat Cactus, a Mexican restaurant. Granted, I knew it was not the most romantic place, but Matt and I love some good mexican food. What I didn’t know was that there happened to be a rugby game on at the exact same time we were going out to eat. What I also failed to realise was that this rugby game was South Africa versus New Zealand. Not being from around here, I didn’t fully comprehend the significance of this event, but I quickly began to understand after sitting down at our table for dinner.
If it hadn’t been for the questions and conversation starters with which the Great Date provided us, we would have probably resigned ourselves to the fact that conversation was nearly impossible amidst the cheers and yells in the bar area of the restaurant. It wasn’t until we had ordered that I completely understood that just about everyone in the restaurant except for ill-informed Matt and Rachel were there to watch rugby.
One of the most difficult realities with which we must all learn to grapple is the reality that we will all have unmet expectations. I was expecting a romantic evening surrounded by mexican food. Instead, I was surrounded by rugby, struggling to hear a word of what my husband was saying! So many other times, I would have just allowed my surroundings to ruin my evening, but the Great Date constantly reminded me of WHY I was on this date in the first place. This wasn’t about having my expectations met; it was about something so much bigger than that. It was about strengthening those 6 essentials we learned at MarriedLife Live: cultivate communication, celebrate differences, hurry home, nurture romance, finish together, and trust God. So while the main course wasn’t what I expected, it still ended up being a memorable experience that we both thoroughly enjoyed.
After our main course, we were able to escape the noise by retreating to Canal Walk for cinnamon buns at Cinn-ful. We wrapped up our date by finishing the questions that the booklet provided. I didn’t really learn anything new about Matt or myself as we answered those questions, but answering those questions reminded us why we were together in the first place. Answering these simple questions rekindled the art of conversation within our marriage.
This past week, I can think back on some really helpful, encouraging conversations that I’ve had with Matt. I do credit our renewed ability to be honest and frank with each other back to our Great Date a couple of weeks ago. I think, more than anything, our Great Date was an intentional experience that strengthened our ability to understand each other and communicate well.
I’m looking forward to our second Great Date in September! This time, though, I’ll make sure to schedule it on a day where there is no rugby!
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