What things, people, animals must you take care of on a daily basis in you life? Do you have house plants that need care: water, food, occasional repotting? What happens if you don’t care for them? Do you have any pets? If you do, you take care of your pets every day, giving them fresh water, food, taking them for a walk, spending time with them. Same for your kids right? They rely on you to meet their daily needs.
All of those people and things need to be cared for like your relationship. But it’s often your spouse that falls to the back burner while those other things are first on your list. Each of us individually needs to decide who and what is on our lists, but the one person that should always be on that list is our spouse.
Our relationships need nurturing. We often get caught up in day-to-day living, coming and going and keeping busy with daily tasks. It’s exhausting! During the work week, Chris and I are always going through our morning routine and then heading off to work. We wake up, shower, spend time with God, eat breakfast, make a lunch, hug and kiss each other goodbye, and leave for work. Our routines, though basically identical, usually take place separately because of our schedules.
Similar to a lot of married couples, we are apart during the day. After a full day at work, we come home tired and hungry and in need of some “down time”. We enjoy cooking dinner together, and several nights a week we will come together in the kitchen to prepare a dinner that we sit down to enjoy. We find it fun to cook together and enjoy our conversations which mostly center around catching each other up on our day and/or making plans for the days we are off together.
While those moments are fun and important in a relationship, nothing is more important than special time set aside to be with one another. This is outside of daily/weekly routines and commitments. Don’t lose sight of the activities you enjoy doing together. Make them happen. Create time for a special date the way you would have before you were married. No, it may not be as easy now as it was before you were married, but it’s just as important.
Sit down with your spouse and come up with a plan. Chris and I try to sit down at the beginning of a new week and plan the week together. We share individual commitments, and plan time for each other. We may schedule a date night, or we may decide to cook dinner together and watch a movie at home. Some weeks end up so busy we can’t fit in as much time together, and on another week we are able to fit in a few different things. We really work to make time and take advantage of what time we can get our hands on. It’s worth the effort.
“Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.” – Romans 12:10
Beyond The I Do 
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