Solomon’s Song of Songs gives us several ideas on how to conduct our self while dating and throughout our eventual marriage. It is very practical and describes a lasting relationship and marital behavior that fosters feelings of love for one another.
This Biblical book covers areas like flirting, conversing (8:13-14), encouraging each other, helping one another, making romantic gestures and conversation, etc. Sharing our time, attention, and encouragement are the greatest gifts we can bestow on our spouse.
Communicating information about our past, our addictions, our financial status, our family medical status, a history of arrests, and other topics that are of great importance to us as an individual, are a vital step in starting any serious relationship on an even footing. Keeping secrets is very unhealthy.
This undisclosed information may influence our decision about how we feel about one another, and we should not keep it private until after we are married. Marrying someone simply because they love us or because marriage is the next step in our life plan are not a
good foundation for marriage either.
These errors are actually dishonest and deprive the other person of a life of love and devotion with someone who cherishes them more than anyone or anything else in the world. Marriage is a life-long commitment before God, our spouse, and the whole world. It is not a short-term arrangement to meet only our needs.
Prayerfully consulting the Lord on our weekly schedules, and including stress-free couple time, are other helpful activities to do together. It can be as mundane as doing household chores together, grocery shopping and discussing a meal plan for the week, running an errand together and chatting in the car, or a dinner just for two at the local diner.
We can make a commitment to spend at least a short time every day to look into one another’s eyes, to hold each other, and to speak words of endearment to each other. This ensures one another of our love only for each other, and it also gives each of us unhurried time to communicate items in our individual life that are bothering us or that are heavy on our heart.
Prayer:
Father God, help us to make wise choices on how we spend our time, so that we do not ignore one another, or hurt each other’s feelings, or make each other feel insecure. Teach us to focus on our mate and to schedule time in each day to cherish and show affection to one another. Show us ways to spend more time as a couple and to join ministries that we can do together.
Remind us that even mundane chores, gardening, swinging on the porch swing, time in nature, hobbies, etc. that we do together will give us opportunities to chat about blessings, as well as to share any negative thoughts and emotions which we are having to work out in our soul. Show us that these shared times and experiences help us to bond and to firmly connect as a couple. We submit our life together to You for You to lead and guide us according to Your perfect plans for each of us.
Thought for the Day:
When our spouse wants to talk to us and we pay attention to one another this makes us feel like we matter; and when we express gratitude, even for the smallest gesture of kindness, this will encourage our spouse to share even more of their time and attention with us.
