I have been married for 20 years this July. But I don’t feel
particularly romantic or like a newlywed anymore. So, I had this idea to
revitalize the romance in my marriage. Feel free to play along. It goes along
with Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it shall be given you…” It’s a fun game to ask for
what you want and to serve your partner with what they want. Come up with a
minimum of seven clever phrases (one for each day of the week), such as “Kiss
me recklessly,” “Surprise me,” “Makeout like a teenager,” and “Flattery will
get you everywhere.” Make it as direct or as wishful as you like. Make this
your new playlist. Put each idea onto a separate sticky note. Each day, put a
new sticky note onto your partner’s bathroom mirror or another clever location.
Your partner will put a sticky note of his own for you to see. Then it’s time
to serve and have fun, fun, fun.
Reality: I came up with my phrases and shared them with my husband.
He has three jobs so he’s pretty busy. At first, he balked at having time for
all this. I said “This will take less than five minutes a day.” Then I added, “You
could even start with one minute.” My husband agreed that he could spare one
minute a day. He also agreed to write down seven statements of his own for me
to fulfill. I wanted to be surprised so I’ll clue you in on his statements next
week
Later that evening, my husband told me he really liked my
clever statements and he spent a lot more time with me than five minutes. We
felt like newlyweds even before the experiment began.
http://www.sxc.hu/browse.phtml?f=download&id=1068350
Part of the premise for this experiment is my belief that
God can restore all things. If your marriage was good at one point, it can be
made good again. I know that marriages don’t always work out, but it’s good to
try. I found some intriguing Old Testament scriptures, such as “Now therefore
restore the man his wife” (Genesis 20:7) and “Restore all that was hers, and
all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the land, even until now.”
(2 Kings 7:6). Plus, we know the story of Job who lost his wife, his children,
his health, his assets…but eventually had everything restored.
This is similar to the poem “The Master’s Touch.” At an
auction, a violin was presented as dusty, beat up, and out of tune. No one saw
the worth of the violin. When placed in the Master’s Hands and dusted off and
tuned, the violin played a sweet song. The violin was auctioned for a great
price. I think of our marriages like the violin, of inherent worth even when a
little dusty and out of tune. The Master’s Touch (or God) can restore our
marriages to their former splendor.
Maybe it can just take a week to jumpstart
the romance of our marriages. Share your experiences with me. I'll fill you in after this week. Get out those
sticky notes…
