How Many Minutes Each Week Do You Intentionally Dedicate To Building Your Marriage?
Deuteronomy 24:5 (NLT)
5 “A newly married man must not be drafted into the army or be given any other official responsibilities. He must be free to spend one year at home, bringing happiness to the wife he has married." Deuteronomy 24:5 (NLT)
Pastor’s Blog
What would you have done with a whole year to do nothing but be married? This law prescribes something like that for year one of marriage. No civic duty, no military, (but, yeah, still got to go to work). The married couple is supposed to establish and nurture their union and focus on each other and God.
The Life Application Study Bible Notes say this: “A gardener starts a tiny seedling in a small pot and allows it to take root before planting it in the field. Let your marriage grow strong by protecting your relationship from too many outside pressures and distractions—especially in the beginning. And don't expect or demand so much from newlyweds that they have inadequate time or energy to establish their marriage.”
I’m a gardener of sorts. I know that my flowers need to be watered and “fed” frequently. Right now I’m doing it daily because if I don’t they’ll wilt. As of yesterday Kathy and I have been married 24 years. And the garden still needs watered and fed! Otherwise old flowers fade too! One of our practices is to take at least one half day a week for lunch and some kind of activity, be it gardening, tennis, shopping, whatever. How about you? How do you tend your garden?
We went on our first marriage retreat when we'd been married less than three years. We are about to celebrate our 34th. If we learned anything that first weekend (we've been many times since), it's that humor and kindness will see us through those rough patches when we're tired, broke, and confused. After all these years, we still find each other more fun to spend time with than anyone else.
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