I’m so glad you are joining me for 28 Days, 28 Ways: Investing in Your Marriage. I know we’ll all be blessed and encouraged as we seek to invest in our marriages. You can find each post indexed here.
Snap a photo!
Sounds so simple, doesn’t it? But I realized I’m really good at making sure I get pictures of my girl and my food and my dog … but sometimes I fail to capture those moments with my husband. Not just the date nights but the every day life we’re doing.
My friend Sandra has decided to take more selfies this year … and I’ve already encouraged you to send some fun pictures of yourself to your husband. But make a point of taking photos together! You’ll be so glad you did.
I’ve made a folder on my computer just for the photos of Scott and me. I flip through them on those days when marriage seems even harder than usual. Those pictures of us remind me every day isn’t going to be awesome but we’ve made a commitment to work through the hard stuff and to laugh together.
The best investment we make in our marriages is showing up.
More and more I’m convinced the reason so many marriages, especially Christian marriages, fail is because one or both of the spouses slowly stop showing up. The demands of work and kids and ministry and all the other “stuff” of life gradually pulls at us. We don’t even realize it’s happening most of the time. But it does.
That’s why we need to take a walk or try something new … because we need face-to-face time, just the two of us. We need those long talks at night — dreaming together of what life could be. We need to connect physically and to listen. Because when we don’t, we stop showing up. We stop needing each other, stop relying on each other.
Photos help us remember.
“A picture is worth a thousand words.” It’s true, y’all. When you look at a photo of you and your husband playing in the snow or dressed up for date night or just relaxing at home, you remember details. The movie you watched, the food you ate, the laughter you shared. And all those details help us remember exactly why this marriage is worth the investment.
So go ahead, snap a photo.
What’s your favorite picture of you and your husband?
Cheering you on,
TL
Deborah Bolton says
One of my favorites is an anniversary “selfie” picture we took right before we went to eat barbecue on our 40th anniversary, and we have lots of other pictures too. I will post it on one of my blogs and link back to this post. I am sharing your series on my blog and with my facebook page “Chronic Fatigue and Creative Decluttering. ” http://livingbetterwithchronicillness.blogspot.com/2014/02/strengthening-your-marriage.html
Teri Lynne Underwood says
I love it, Deborah! And thank you for sharing these posts with others. What a gift!!