Maintain Your Marriage

Do you know why some yards and lawns look much nicer than others?  It's called maintenance.  The more work you put into it, the better it looks.  Do you know why some cars run longer, and bring more when they're traded in? It's called maintenance.  You take care of them and they'll last.  Do you know why some people live longer or healthier than others? You guessed it, maintaining a healthy lifestyle helps.

When we don't maintain those things in life that are important to us we often find ourselves asking, "How did I get in this mess?"   And one of the things many people neglect and take for granted is their marriage.  Many husbands and wives simply think that things will continue to go well even when no work or  maintenance is done in their marriage.   So many who neglect their marriage, years down the road, wonder how they ever got their marriage into the mess it's in.  

So, what are some simple things we do to maintain and grow in our relationships with our spouses?  Here are a few ideas ...

• Make it a priority to set aside one night a week for a date with your spouse.  
• Take an over night trip together (without kids) once or twice a year.
• Read a book together. 
• Talk.
• Take a walk together. 
• Do pre-marriage things again like writing notes and sending flowers.
• Call during the day to simply say hello. 
• Make God a priority in your life.

The key is to maintain and grow in your marriage, instead of waiting until things are bad to start looking for answers.  Unfortunately sometimes when we wait until things get bad ... we've waited too long.

Can you imagine a man who has spent years neglecting his health, going to the doctor and saying, "Make me better quick."  Doctors can't fix years of neglect overnight (and sometimes not at all).   Fixing years of neglect often takes months and years.  And if it can be fixed, then it takes time, hard work and discipline to get your body back on track.  The same is true if you've neglected your marriage.  It may not be able to be fixed over night, but with time, hard work and discipline ... you can get it back on track. 

Don't wait until your marriage needs an overhaul to try and save it ... do some maintenance today!

Can you think of some other things you can do to maintain a marriage?

Thanks to www.treymorgan.net!