For most couples, in the beginning years of dating and marriage, it would seem far-fetched and even silly to think that you would schedule time on your calendar for your spouse.  But over nearly 18 years of marriage and four children later, I’ve found that scheduling lunch dates, weekends away, even a movie and popcorn time after the children are asleep is critical. And when I say scheduling, I mean marking it down on a calendar!

Being intentional about growing in your marriage is a good thing! By intentionally making time for one another, it keeps other things that may just creep up on you from getting in the way of your quality time with your spouse.  

When was the last time you had time with just your spouse? 

It’s an important question, isn’t it? For some it may have been a while; maybe you just had your first baby, and it seems almost impossible to leave the house right now.  For others, you both work outside the home full time, and in the evenings you are running around taking your children to their extracurricular activities. Getting creative is one of the ways we’ve had to navigate this season in our lives. Planning time together is the key to success.  

Sit down tonight with your spouse and look over your written calendars or just chat about your week ahead. What would be a feasible time for the two of you to have together this week? Then, write it down on a sticky note, or make a mental note that you have carved out that time for just the two of you.

Turn this into a pattern, and you will be proactively growing your marriage by spending time together!