Being Intentional In Your MarriageSample

Connect Daily

Truly connecting with our spouse each day is essential for our marriage. Without it, we’ll see our relationship become stagnant. When we aren’t intentional and don’t invest in our spouse, this will eventually cause us to grow apart and become nothing more than roommates and co-parents. Daily connection with our spouse requires proactivity. Here are a few fundamental practices we should incorporate each day.

Pray
Praying for people isn’t typically difficult for followers of Jesus. But making a commitment to pray with someone else, especially our spouse, seems to be one thing that many couples neglect. It’s easy to voice an occasional prayer to God for our spouse to get the job or to get over a sickness, but to actually pray aloud with them? This can be scary and embarrassing because people don’t think they do it right. The goal of praying together isn’t to sound super spiritual but to connect at the deepest possible place with our Creator. If praying isn’t something you’ve done consistently with your spouse, make the decision to begin today. Start slowly by just asking God to give you strength for the day and alternate who leads the prayer each day. As you make this a daily spiritual practice, not only will your connection to God and your spouse grow stronger, but your prayers will grow in depth and become broader in topic.

Communicate
Communication in a marriage is incredibly vital. It prevents us from drifting from our spouse. When we talk about our day, share our experiences, and tell our spouse about the things that concern us, it connects us to each other and makes our marriage stronger. When we take it a step further and share about our relationship with God and what we’re learning, the connection takes an even deeper dive toward intimacy. Make time to communicate each day with your spouse by not only sharing your heart but by being a great listener when they’re doing the same. Discuss the health of your communication with your spouse and make strides to improve.

Be Thoughtful
When we first begin a dating relationship, it takes no effort to think about the person. But, as time passes, especially into marriage, sometimes it doesn’t come as easy for us. That means we have to make an effort to be thoughtful. Maybe we set reminders each day to call or text. We might even leave notes for them to find. Or we make the call or send the text when we see something that reminds us of them and makes us thankful. It may not feel as romantic to have to schedule a reminder, but the alternative is to neglect our spouse altogether. Ask your spouse if they feel cared for in this way and then make the effort to meet their needs.

Reflection
In what area do you need to improve in your marriage? Prayer, communication, or being thoughtful?