A Wise Investment

A Wise Investment

A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.

“You are my best friend.” I sighed the words as I reached for Aaron’s hand.

We were driving to a local Italian restaurant to celebrate our anniversary, both of our birthdays, and his job promotion. After a season that had been too chaotic and without enough time carved out for one another, we were finally getting around to a date night to celebrate events that had taken place more than three months ago.

While it felt good to be spending time together, there was a part of me that felt genuine regret that we’d let so much time pass between date nights. I’d allowed my relationship with my best friend to fall into last place on the priority list, and it felt neglectful and wrong.

I have a perennial tendency to allow my calendar to fill up with things done for others at the sacrifice of my own schedule and, by extension, at the sacrifice of time set apart for my husband. And while sometimes it simply cannot be helped, I find myself carving out time to meet needs and take care of others without zealously protecting time for Aaron—arguably the most important person in my life.

Taking your spouse for granted is an easy trap to fall into. It’s a slow, insidious slide from regular date nights and time set aside for deep conversation beyond kids and to-do lists into being roommates who feel like ships passing in the night.

A healthy marriage requires intentional, frequent investments of time and energy. Your commitment to one another, made before God, needs to be your priority because it profoundly impacts every other area of your life. God knows this, which is why he described the marriage bond as binding us together as a unit.

— Julie

— Today’s Act of Friendship —

Set a regular weekly date (even if you don’t leave the house) with your spouse. If you are not married, set aside regular time each week to invest in other important relationships in your life.