31 Days to Bless Your Home, and How to Have Fun Doing It Too!
Week 4: The Fun of Home: Enjoying Our Families
Day 20: Four Ways to Enjoy Life with Your Husband
Relish life with the spouse you love
Each and every day of your precarious life.
Each day is God’s gift. It’s all you get in exchange
For the hard work of staying alive.
Make the most of each one! Ecclesiastes 9:9 MSG
Each and every day of your precarious life.
Each day is God’s gift. It’s all you get in exchange
For the hard work of staying alive.
Make the most of each one! Ecclesiastes 9:9 MSG
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| Face in Hole is so much fun! Here I am with my Prince Charming! |
If you have been following Pearls for Living during this fall home challenge, you may have gleaned a plethora of ideas for blessing your home. We have explored the spiritual climate, the sensory atmosphere, and the glamorous side of cleaning, organizing, and decluttering. However, I must emphasize that we cannot merely focus on the physical structure of our homes, or we would miss out on the main ingredient that truly makes our house a home. It is all about relationships!
This week, I will offer ideas to enrich and enjoy each type of relationship we often have in our families. We can so easily become bogged down with busyness, stress, and even strife, and we often do not have ample time to invest in healthy relationships or to enjoy the people that God has placed in such close proximity in our lives. It takes much more than mere desire; it takes intentional effort to make it happen.
I do not claim to be an expert, and some of my ideas may not be new to you. However, what I hope to accomplish is to help you realize the importance of investing in each of our family relationships, and to inspire you to begin enjoying your family again.
Today, my focus is all about marriage. My mother often reminded me growing up that her relationship with my dad was her first priority. That did not mean that she neglected the needs of her children, but she made a point of keeping their marriage strong and to enjoy her time with him every day. They were a prime example to us for having a genuinely happy marriage. I want that for you too!
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Remember, you are living your life in front of your children. The kind of marriage you model for them will greatly affect the kind of marriage they will have some day. Show them that even though it can be hard work, it is worth it. Marriage can be enjoyed for real! Even though you go through some overwhelming storms at times, when you hold tight together, you will weather the storms and come out stronger than before. Someday when you look back over the course of your marriage, you can have joyful memories to sweeten those difficult seasons if you remember these few things:
1. Date Night. This is a must! No matter how busy your schedule is or how tight your budget is, this must be a priority. Having a day or evening to look forward to each week is a perfect cure for the mundane, and it will help you get through the stressers of the week without going under.Most importantly, you need to set aside time to let your husband know he is still your knight-in-shining-armor, your Prince Charming, the man of your dreams. Keep romance alive and invest in your marriage. Have fun!2. Couch Time. It is so easy to get stuck the mode of our conversations centering around car pools, work stress, financial troubles, and the latest mess our kids have gotten into. We can be so busy with the routines of life that relaxing with the one we love seems to be the one thing we can never find time to do. My husband and I have made it a mandatory rule that we will have at least a few minutes of couch time every single day. On the couch, we give each other our undivided attention. Often we simply sip coffee and talk. Sometimes we watch a movie too, but not until we had some time to communicate first. We start with small talk, but once you have gotten into the habit of talking, it is easier to go into deeper levels of conversation. We don’t want to always keep it heavy or light. All marriages need both kinds of conversation. It will really bring you closer together!3. Recreational Intimacy. We have learned how wonderful it is for a marriage for you to find something you both enjoy doing and to do it together. Playing games together is one of the best ways to interact in a playful way and build intimacy on a much needed recreational level. Our favorite things to do are to go to Braves baseball games, movies, plays, or concerts. We also enjoy doing things the other one likes. For example, I may be a horrible golfer, but I would enjoy golfing with him because he loves it so much. He will also endure trips to the museum because he enjoys seeing how much I love it. We just love hanging out and having fun. All marriages need that!4. The Bedroom. How sad that so many couples get too busy to make time for this important part of marriage, or they become disillusioned because it hasn’t measured up to their expectations. Often, couples simply give up and learn to do without physical intimacy. Please don’t give up! There are so many resources out there. Make this a priority and give this area of your marriage over to the One who created it in the first place. He can help you! I have learned that when I do all I can to make it wonderful for my husband, that is when it is most wonderful for me. Just think; you are the only person in the whole world who has the right and the responsibility to fulfill your mate sexually. No one else! Think of it as a ministry, and make your man know that he is the most loved man in the entire universe!
The husband should fulfill his wife’s sexual needs, and the wife should fulfill her husband’s needs. The wife gives authority over her body to her husband, and the husband gives authority over his body to his wife. Do not deprive each other of sexual relations, unless you both agree to refrain from sexual intimacy for a limited time so you can give yourselves more completely to prayer. Afterward, you should come together again so that Satan won’t be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 1 Corinthians 7:3-5 NLT
If you are not married, these are principles you can chalk up in your mental notes for future reference. However, if you are unhappily married, I have some thoughts to share with you, What If You Are Unhappy with Your Marriage? God bless you all and your marriages!
Week Four Challenge: Set aside time to invest in and enjoy each relationship in your family.
Today’s Challenge: Kiss him like you mean it!
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| Image from To Love, Honor, and Vacuum |
Join me tomorrow as I will be sharing ideas for enjoying your children, adult children, children-in-laws, and grandchildren. What a fun day that will be!
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Thank you and God bless!
Shari Lewis
