It’s the start of a new year and also what I like to consider Cliché January where everyone repents of their Christmas gluttony and drags their butts off to a gym. Or they make a different New Year’s resolution to eat less, drink less wine, drink more water, read more, study more, pray more, serve more.
It’s actually great to review where we are with life—are we happy, sad, content or stuck? What do we need to do to get to where we want to be or keep things thriving?
And the same goes for our marriages. What great New Year’s resolutions could we cultivate for our marriages?
» A Marriage Review
Take five areas: Communication, Home life, Work, Finances, Intimacy and ask three questions:
- What are my thoughts about this area?
- What are your thoughts about this area?
- What’s God saying to us about this area?
Pray and discuss.
» A Time for Marriage Weekend
Chances are if you’re reading this you have been on one of our weekends. How about considering coming on another one? How long was it since you took a whole weekend to focus specifically on your marriage? Do you know anyone else that could benefit from a TfM weekend this year?
» Regular Date nights
This is something we talk about A LOT. Mainly because life is SO busy that the first thing to go is the luxury of time for ourselves and often before that is time for our marriages. We take our hats off to those who cultivate a regular non-negotiable date night each week. But for those of us who struggle with this, how often is realistic? And what can we do to make it happen. Sometimes it takes a bit of creativity. We love the idea of Alphabet dating (work your way through the alphabet, going on a date that starts with the next letter—we also have a friend who does Alphabet restaurant date nights!). Or perhaps sometimes it takes no creativity—cuddling up on the sofa over a glass of wine is also great. Just ensure you’re getting quality time just the two of you together on a regular basis.
» Love Languages
This is another thing we talk about A LOT. The love languages is a way in which we receive love from each other. It can be through words, touch, gifts, service or time. Find out more here. Think of five things you can do to meet your partners love language in the next month.
» Try something new together
Lots of people resolve to start new hobbies at this time of year but how about trying something new as a couple? It could be a hobby, a sport or reading a book together (you have an instant discussion partner!).
