It’s Marriage Week in Australia. Organisers DENNIS and ANN OUTRED give some quick tips on how to keep your marriage healthy…
Hebrews 13:4 says, “Let marriage be held in honour among all.” We should understand that marriage is precious and should always be thought of and spoken about as precious. Treasured like gold and silver and rare jewels, it should be seen as valued far more than the most precious gem or the greatest. Marriage should be viewed with tremendous respect and sanctity. We need to re-cultivate the feeling, the idea that marriage is not to be touched quickly or handled casually or treated commonly. In God’s eyes marriage is precious and therefore He says, “Let marriage be held in honour among all.”
In honouring our own marriages we should seek to make them better, make sure that they don’t stagnate; grow tired. Marriages can depreciate if left; they are rather like a car in some ways – they need regular attention and the right fuel in the tank to run smoothly – but unlike a car, marriages can and should appreciate and become the best investment that you have ever made!
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“In honouring our own marriages we should seek to make them better, make sure that they don’t stagnate; grow tired. Marriages can depreciate if left; they are rather like a car in some ways – they need regular attention and the right fuel in the tank to run smoothly – but unlike a car, marriages can and should appreciate and become the best investment that you have ever made!” |
So what is the “regular attention” and the “right fuel” for marriages to run smoothly (yes, there may be bumps along the way), to appreciate and to be better than the biggest, most precious gem? The following are only a few suggestions and are part of a long term plan – not a quick fix!
• Invest in quality time together. Push the stop button on the world around. Yes, you can live without the phone, internet and television to have the night together and talk of dreams; how you really are. You have children? Come to a deal with friends with children of the same age and do a fortnightly ‘baby sit’ for each other – two marrieges being invested in!
• Make sure that you are your spouse’s best friend, encourager and cheerleader.
• Recognise that one of the major benefits of marriage is “getting to have sleepovers”.
• If confronting your spouse with an issue, check your motive first! Do you want to help or hurt by what you say to your spouse when you confront them? Think about what is going on in their life when choosing your time to approach them on the issue in a loving way. Be aware of your own faults.
• Pray for one another (James 5:16) and do it together.
• Buy a pack of sticky notes. Leave an encouraging note where your loved one will notice. Write something you appreciate about them, something they did, or something in relation to who they are. The more specific the message the better! Make this a regular habit, even daily. If you have children you could write the occasional one for them also.
• Two words that are critical to marriage and make a positive difference when used, particularly when said and you mean it. What are these words – you already know them but do you use them often? The words are…thank you.
Remember and put into practice “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres”. “Love never fails”
Saturday, 20th September, is the ‘Great Aussie Date Night’ so start to make your plans now to date your spouse…the rewards from that investment have limitless potential.
For more ideas on investing in your marriage, see https://www.facebook.com/MarriageWeekAustralia and www.marriageweek.org.au.
Dennis and Ann Outred are the organisers of Marriage Week in Australia.
