Today’s devotion is from Pastor James Merritt and his
touchinglives.org ministry. I first met
Dr. Merritt over 20 years ago. He is a
gracious man and a great pastor. I hope
today’s devotion will inspire you to really take time to love. In light of tomorrow being Valentine’s Day,
this is a great word for us:
Song of Solomon 2:10-11 ESV
“My
beloved speaks and says to me, ‘Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come
away, for behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone.’”
Marriage is just like
a plant. A plant needs water to stay alive. Time is the water that you pour on
to a marriage to keep it alive. Do you know how you spell love in a marriage?
T-I-M-E. There is nothing that will communicate to your spouse that they are
the number one priority of all other relationships more than when you give the
most valuable thing you possibly can – your time.
Go on dates. Take
time to get away, just the two of you, and connect. I know this can be hard for
many different reasons. Perhaps you have small children, financial constraints,
or a number of other obstacles that make it more difficult to make time for one
another. But where there is a will there is a way. With a little creativity you
will find ways to prioritize one another. The key is to make your marriage a
priority.
Believe it or not,
there are countless simple ways to spend time together that can be just as
meaningful. Go to the grocery store with your wife. Go shopping with her. Join
your husband in whatever hobby he enjoys. Even if you don’t particularly like
it, you will enjoy spending time together. Give one another a day and say,
“Whatever you want to do today, that is what we are going to do.” This gift of
time works both ways.
The bottom line is
this: Both of you need to be communicating to the other one that you want to
spend time together. In marriage, you must carve out time where you devote all
of our attention to each other. That time will rejuvenate your love.
When you have spare time, how do you spend it? Do
you consistently give the gift of time to your spouse?
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