I was going to blog about how after 11 years of marriage I fell madly in love with my husband all over again on our recent trip to Alaska, but I feel like that would be cheating. Of course you did, you might say. Anyone could fall in love on vacation without kids, surrounded by beauty and worrying about NOTHING. So I really thought about WHY I fell in love with him and more importantly HOW I could bottle up this feeling and make it last when we got back home to reality. Do you have 5 minutes to try this?
Take the Five Minute Marriage Makeover!
MINUTE 1
LOOK AT YOUR HUSBAND.
Yup that’s it. Look at him. Not just a quick glance. Spend the entire minute looking at his face. Look into his eyes. A minute is a long time isn’t it? When’s the last time you stared at his face for a whole uninterrupted minute? Be honest. Days? Weeks? Years? Your wedding day? Keep looking. He does have beautiful eyes doesn’t he? Maybe he has some new lines on his face. He works hard. Keep looking. Matthew 6:22 The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.
MINUTE 2
SMELL YOUR HUSBAND
Ok, before you shut off your computer and mutter “weirdo” at the screen...just give it a chance. I promise you this works!
Smell his hair. His neck. His shirt. JUST DO IT. For a whole minute just breath him in. (WARNING: do not attempt minute 2 if your husband has just returned from a mountain trek for an entire week without running water.) Genesis 3:16 Your desire shall be for your husband.
MINUTE 3
HOLD YOUR HUSBANDS HAND
Just hold it. For a minute. No talking. No T.V. No noise. No phone. Hold his hand. Look out at the sky. Notice the trees...how they sway in the wind. Listen to the birds. Your hand in his is part of the Lord’s plan. Feel that. Genesis 1:27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
MINUTE 4
SERVE HIM
Bring him some hot peppermint tea and drink it with him.
Make him a sandwich. (oddly the key to many a man’s heart)
Anything that takes a minute. Make it. Serve it. Ephesians 5:22 Wives submit to your husbands as you do to The Lord.
MINUTE 5
HELP HIM.
Genesis 2:18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”
God says that woman was created to be her husbands helper but how often do we ask what kind of help would be useful or valuable to our husband? I know I can get caught up in my own daily to-dos. I have a list a mile long of things I need to do to help my kids, but what about my husband? He came first before the kids were born. What about now? Where does your husband feel he ranks in your household?
WHY do these 5 simple things work?
Because that’s how you fell in love with him the first time.
Our senses have a memory. Using them in a very simple and intentional way can bring you back.
You stared at his handsome face. You inhaled his cologne. You held his hand and felt like it fit like no other. You wanted to please him, to help him. To stand along side him. In 5 minutes I bet you knew he was “the one.” He still is..but maybe the world came in like a wave and washed away those feelings? So many distractions pulling you apart. Ya’ll, Alaska took my breath away. It was beautiful but that’s not what made me fall in love with my man. It was that all of the daily distractions were far from my mind and I was focused on him. Just him. What if for a few minutes every single day you put all of your distractions away and just stand by your man. You don’t need to go to Alaska or Hawaii to reignite your passion for your marriage. You only need 5 minutes right here. Right now. (p.s don’t be afraid to put your proverbial 1950’s housewife apron on, whisk the kids outside to play and lock the door! That’s how our parents did it!
Dear Lord Jesus. Thank you for the gift of marriage. Help to heal and grow my marriage. Ignite in us a desire for each other. A love and a bond that will strengthen and grow and not be broken. Help me to respect my husband. To honor him. To forgive him and love him. To see him as you have created him. Help me to stand back from myself and be my husbands greatest helper. Bind our marriage in a circle of love, faithfulness and trust that no-one and no thing can break. Protect us Lord. Use us. Fill us. That we may know you better. We give you the glory Lord forever and ever Amen.
