I’m on my way back from NC where I helped my sister prepare
for her daughter’s wedding. We were busy
for almost a week taking care of all the little details to make the day
special. The setting could not have been
more beautiful and the preparation paid off by everything flowing
smoothly.
It always amazes me how many things must be done for such a
short ceremony. The ceremony may be short, but the marriage
is long, and things will be necessary daily to keep it running smoothly.
I have learned as a wife, marriage is a 24-hour a day, seven
day a week adventure. It is just not an
option to take my husband for granted or put him low on the priority list. Marriage is bliss only when I learn to let go
of my own expectations and meet my husband’s needs.
Jerry is a great husband and spoils me a lot, but that can’t
be my focus. My responsibility is to
love and serve him. My life is so much
better when I put him before myself.
I’m thankful for the years we have had together, and if I
had to give my niece one word of advice, it would be FOCUS. After
God, focus on hubby, then family and other things.
In the child-rearing years, it’s so tempting to put the
marriage relationship on the back-burner.
I’ve seen it happen far too often.
Once the kids are grown (and that comes faster than you can ever
imagine), there is no relationship left unless time is spent connecting through
the years.
How can we focus when life is so crazy? Little things make all the difference.
Here are a few tips:
·
Be polite to your spouse when you are
together. Sometimes we are more
irritable at home than with strangers or work associates.
·
Read 1 Corinthians 13 daily. Insert your name and live it out in your
marriage.
·
Ask him/her if you can get them anything when
you are going in the kitchen or running an errand.
·
Defer to him/her when you watch television together.
·
Share parenting tasks.
·
Share housework and cooking.
·
Make time after the kids have gone to bed to
talk and connect without the interference of television. Our favorite spot is sitting on the patio together.
·
Work out your differences by listening to each
other’s opinion completely and together decide the best solution.
·
Spend
time with other couples who have good marriages.
·
Make time for date nights and occasional
overnight stays together away from home.
·
Take time to be intimate.
Of course, this is not an exhaustive list. I’ve put this together rather quickly. Please comment and add your own
suggestions.