Date Night

Date night is VITAL in a relationship. Trust me, I know what you are thinking....kids, work, money, time,  babysitter, etc. Basically in your mind you probably just ran through all the reasons you CAN'T go out on a date with your husband/ wife. We complain that we do not have time! Everyone has 24 hours in a day and all 24 hours are not spent working. Yes, your husband/wife might work late and might be tired or might have a headache:) But you HAVE got to invest in your marriage.

Date night is so important to Marshall and me. We started having a date night once a week about 4 years ago. It has become our favorite night of the week! I STRONGLY suggest/ insist you do this! I love to spend time with my husband. And lets face it, with kids it is hard to spend quality time together with just the two of us. It must be a priority. You must make your marriage a priority. Wives make your husband your priority. Husbands make your wife your priority. When is the last time you went on a date with your spouse? Can you remember? Sadly,a lot of  people can't.

Now, I am going to tell you reasons why all of the excuses don't mean much to me.....

Money: First of all, we know all about not having "money" to go on a date. I never said you have to go spend a lot of money, I just said "go on a date". Be creative. Make date night part of your budget. Make it one of your "bills".....it is that important! Some nights we stay in for our date. We put the kids to bed (by 7) and share a meal with just the two of us. We don't usually watch T.V., but especially not on date night.

I don't really count going to a movie as date night for us. You pay $18 and don't even say anything to each other. Then again movies just are not my thing. You may enjoy watching movies together. It's your date night, not mine:) Just be sure that you are connecting with your husband/ wife.

Kids: I know about this too, I have three. You don't have anybody to keep your kids....well, you may not have family around but this is where budgeting for your date is so important. You can pay a babysitter and go hang out at Starbucks or in your car:) ha! That is free! Even if you only do this every two weeks, start somewhere! Once a month? Again, be creative. Family, friends, teenagers, neighbors, trade sitting services with a friend. Lots of options.

Time/ work: You absolutely have to make time. What do you spend your time doing? Not many people work 24 hrs a day/ 7 days a week. What do you do in your spare time? I don't care what you do, but is there a way to take a couple of hours a week out to invest in your marriage? Can you rearrange your schedule?

You don't have to go every Friday night. Go on a Sunday afternoon. You can go any day you want. You have to start somewhere. Once a month? Every other week? The first step is to get out of the rut. Love your husband/wife. Spend time together, just the two of you. You won't regret it! I promise!

Bottom line: You have to make time. Your children are watching. Our kids know that we go on a date every week, and if something happens and we don't, they notice. We make each other a priority. Our marriage comes first. God created marriage and it is a gift. Thank God for your husband. Thank Him for your wife

Now, go on a date with your husband/wife!!! Love them, treasure them, and have fun!!!!

The man who finds a wife finds a treasure, and he receives favor from the Lord. Proverbs 18:22

Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you. Rejoice in the wife of your youth. Proverbs 5:18