Monday Matrimony

Don't you just love it when someone offers you unsolicited advice. Like another mom at the playground or Target who chimes in with some "helpful tidbit" of parenting advice when your child has momentarily lost their mind. Or like that person in your Bible study group who never ceases to have the solution for any problem or personal concern that you share.  I know, we all love that person.

In light of how much we all love that advice giving guru, I thought I'd offer a little unsolicited advice myself...your welcome! I had the grand idea that each Monday I could give a little marriage tip. I'm sure I'll have readers from all over the world flocking to their keyboards each Monday just to glean whatever wisdom this 7.5-year-marriage-veteran might provide. Brace yourselves, People. This advice may be so deep and life changing that you may even be tempted to send me money. If you have this urge, feel free to leave a comment and I'll make sure to send you my mailing address! :-)

So, without further ado, the tip of the day is:

Be a "Yes, let's!" kind of person. 

This is something my mom taught me before I got married. It's such an easy concept and I often hear those words, "Yes, Let's!" ringing in my ear when I'm tempted to shoot down one of my husband's ideas. Here's a few scenarios where you could put this into practice...

• At 9:00 PM your hubby suddenly says, "Hey, let's go to the hot tub for a few minutes!" That sounds like the last thing on earth you'd want to do because you wanted to get ready for the next day, read a book, and get to sleep early. But suddenly you remember the "Yes, Let's!" principle and you and your husband enjoy a great 30 minutes to connect and have a heart-felt conversation at the hot tub.
• Your husband comes in from work and says, "How about we go to (some restaurant) for dinner tonight?" You've already thawed out the chicken and have begun prepping dinner. But you think, "I guess this dinner will save until tomorrow night. Sure!" Yes, let's!
• Your spouse wants to go camping and the closest you like to get to camping is a Holiday Inn. But instead of shooting down his idea, you try to think of what you can do to help make it happen. You say, "Yes! Let's do that!" 

When this principle is applied, the level of fun, freedom, and joy you experience in your marriage can sky rocket. Your spouse will feel the freedom to share his/her ideas with you without fearing that they may get shot down. Often, our reason for not wanting to do something is purely based on selfishness. Let's get over ourselves and go enjoy our spouse!

Each of you should look not only to your own 

interest, but also to the interests of others.

Philippians 2:4

Love is not self-seeking.

1 Corinthians 13:5