Spring Cleaning for Your Marriage

It’s finally spring time….well at least that’s what the calendar says. But before we get too far ahead with filling our schedule full of summer activities, Spring is a great time to take notice of the things we haven’t dealt with or perhaps simply forgot about during the dulls of winter. Although you might spend time dusting off the windows and uncovering the grill, I hope you devote some purposeful time and energy to breathe life into your relationship and restart the engines of your marriage.

Just like opening up the windows and doors to allow the fresh air and warm sunlight in, a worthwhile effort is made when we open up the windows and doors for communication with our spouse. Whether it be by offering additional insight into your hopes and intentions for the upcoming change of seasons or by creating more availability to each other’s presence, it is very beneficial to invite your spouse into your world and to pursue an active role in theirs.

Another place to start is by raking up the old leaves of past issues that weren’t fully dealt with last season and allow the “newly forming grass” of re-commitment and understanding to replace it. The soil of our relationship is enriched when we are willing to deliberately return to the issues that we so often face, but not with a shovel for digging us in a deeper hole, rather with a rake to blend in the nutrients that we both have to offer in the issues we face.

Finally, I recommend you sit down with your spouse and talk through a shared list of priorities focusing on the “must do and must see” types of experiences you are hoping to have during the upcoming season. When we can ignite excitement and motivation into our relationship, we often find ourselves enjoying the adventures of life and marriage as opposed to feeling obligated and dragged down by the “honey-do lists” life seems to make for us.

If you are looking for more ideas on how to spring clean in your marriage, I recommend the article 8 Ways to Spring Clean Your Marriage by Rebecca Barlow Jordan from www.crosswalk.com

 

Justin