Tim and I celebrated our five-year-anniversary in May, and we reflected on some of the things that strengthen our friendship and make it great. We hope one tip helps you add something fun and new to your relationship. I pinkie promise, they are not cheesy, but tangible ways you make meaningful shared moments in your marriage.
SERVE IN A SHARED MINISTRY
Whether it’s mentoring high school teens, building homes or raising money for a cause; find one thing you’re both passionate about so you can serve regularly together. For us, it’s small group ministry. This is something we both valued before we were married so after we said “I do” we began to pray when would be the best time to launch one. Four years into leading our small group, we find that serving together strengthens our communication, our faith and our fun! We dream together, plan together, pray together, clean our home together, invite people in together, it’s so special to be on the same team.
You can read more about this small group journey for us in this article, “What to do if your spouse is not on board with hosting a small group?
TURN OFF THE TECH
I mean lock it in the console of your car when you go on a date. Hide them in the other room while you eat dinner. Eliminate the distraction completely so you can focus on each other. We don’t have a television in our bedroom or keep our phones by our bed so despite our busy days, we end the evening with some pillow talk. Intentional shared moments are hard to come by these days with two kids, so choosing to make quiet space to talk is vital! We highly recommend reading The Tech Wise Family if you need more ideas for finding a healthy balance with your relationship and technology.
CELEBRATE OFTEN
Richard Foster said, “celebration brings joy into life and joy makes us strong.” Because life and marriage can feel mundane, the joy of celebrating God’s work in our lives changes things. It makes small wins feel important and seen. It makes the big wins feel just that—big! And joy gives us a foundation that can’t be easily knocked down. Plus, celebrating usually means more cake and why couldn’t we all get on board for more cake?!
