Why Walking in the Same Direction in Marriage Strengthens You Both
Exploring Evans Lookout walking trails
During a recent trip, Phil and I compared step counts at the end of the day, and he was ahead, again. Even though I’d done a few extra loops and wandered off for those scenic shots, he still racked up more steps. Our heights and strides come into play, making for some healthy competition and banter.
It’s become a bit of a running joke. But it got me thinking: marriage is a lot like walking in the same direction — even when the pace is different.
Sometimes we’re walking beside each other, but the pace is different. Sometimes one of us is leading the way, and sometimes we’re just quietly matching rhythm without needing to say a word.
We don’t always walk exactly together — but we always walk in the same direction.
And when we do, we find something beautiful: not just the views at the end of the road, but the moments we gather between the steps. The tired laughs, shared snacks, quiet prayers, and inside jokes that only a few would understand. Doing life together can be beautiful, messy and worth every step.
When we aren’t in step
It’s easy to focus on the happy moments — the laughs, the lookouts, the times we feel perfectly in sync.
But what about when we’re not heading in the same direction?
How do we get back on the same page? How do we find our rhythm again?
We all have those moments — big and small — when we’re out of step.
What matters is what we choose to do next.
I’d encourage you to look for simple ways to reconnect.
Maybe it’s one small step in the same direction.
Maybe it’s a quiet conversation that helps redraw the map and realign your hearts.
However it looks, don’t underestimate the power of those little choices to bring you back into rhythm — and even stronger than before… together.
Walking together
“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labour.”
– Ecclesiastes 4:9
There’s something powerful that happens when we move in the same direction — not necessarily at the same pace, but with the same purpose. In marriage, and especially while travelling, Phil and I have learned that being together doesn’t always mean walking in lockstep.
Sometimes one of us is ahead, sometimes one’s lagging (often with a camera or a sore foot ), but we’re always moving together.
And when we ground our relationship in God — letting Him guide our path, our choices, even our pace — we become stronger than we ever could be on our own.
Even when we’re huffing and puffing our way up the stairs (literally and figuratively), we know God is our map, our anchor, and our help.
Ecclesiastes 4:12 reminds us: “A cord of three strands is not easily broken.”
That third strand — God — is the difference between being stretched and being strengthened.
Ecclesiastes 4:9–12 says it beautifully — “Two are better than one… a cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Read the whole verse here.
Something to think about this week
Bend in the Path on the Fairfax walking track
Take a moment this week to reflect on your relationship — not just the significant milestones, but the small, quiet steps along the way.
Are you walking in the same direction?
Even if your paces look a little different?
If not, what’s one small thing you could do to reconnect — to bring back a sense of shared purpose?
Celebrate your differences. Be thankful for the ways your paths complement each other — how you catch each other, encourage each other, wait for each other.
Because love doesn’t always walk in sync.
But what we do in those moments matters more than we realise.
Will you choose to come together — or drift apart?
When life together is rooted in purpose and grounded in faith, you don’t just keep moving…
You grow stronger, side by side.
More From Sapphire Blue Travel
Looking for practical ways to reconnect in your relationship?
➡️ Here are 9 ideas to help you reconnect.
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➡️ This blog post shares a few gentle ways to begin.
