"Be sure to set the bar at a level you're willing to sustain over time." I was given this piece of advice long before I ever thought about getting married and I am glad I retained the knowledge I learned from that conversation. Marriage can make us do crazy things. The title upgrade from "boyfriend/girlfriend" to "husband/wife" is such a glorious and life-changing … [Read more...]
{Be A Better Spouse Challenge} Tip #7: Bite Your Tongue
Yes, bite your tongue to benefit your marriage. Words carry power, and as spouses, we are able to use that power for good and unfortunately evil. Our words have the ability to hurt and seriously damage a relationship when not used properly. It is a basic instinct to lash out, yell and defend ourselves when we feel backed into a corner. A simple disagreement quickly turns into … [Read more...]
{Be A Better Spouse Challenge} Tip #6: Pray For Your Spouse’s Concerns
Today take some time to give your spouse a special gift by showing them they are your primary concern. Ask them what one concern, goal or area of their life you can pray for. Then spend the day making that one concern of your spouse your prayer focus for the day. It is not important to agree, respond or even have a conversation about it at all. Just make their concern your … [Read more...]
{Be A Better Spouse Challenge} Tip #5: Create A Marriage Mission Statement
Every great business started with a plan and a mission. In each of those missions, the organization plainly stated its purpose as a company. Some are detailed, while others are broad. The company frequently refers back to this mission in order to stay on track in achieving their goal. How much more can a marriage benefit from creating a mission based on both spouses' … [Read more...]
{Be A Better Spouse Challenge} Tip #4: Do One Of Your Spouse’s Chores
Washing clothes, mowing lawns, doing dishes, taking out the trash - there is a seemingly endless list of tasks that need to be accomplished in most households to keep a home running. Chances are you and your spouse each have different things that you take on to keep your home in some kind of order. Give your spouse a break today by handling one of the chores he or she … [Read more...]
{Be A Better Spouse Challenge} Tip #3: Call to Say “I Love You”
Do you ever feel like the only time you talk to your spouse on the phone these days is to tell him or her to remember to take out the trash or to ask about dinner plans (*raising hand and waving it around in the air*)? As married couples, there are so many occasions when we need to deal with life's not-so-romantic moments like carpool and taxes that it's easy to let those … [Read more...]
{Be A Better Spouse Challenge} Tip #2: Buy Gifts For A Rainy Day
With the availability of discount programs through sites like Groupon.com or LivingSocial.com you can get great deals on everything from a night at the local bed and breakfast or drinks at a favorite local restaurant. Snap up these deals and tuck them away for a rainy day. When they come home stressed out by their job, pull out a weekend getaway that you picked up for cheap. … [Read more...]
30 Days For A New Marriage: BMWK Challenges YOU To Be A Better Spouse By May
From the Editors So much can change from the time you say "I do" until now. Whether "now" is five years of wedded bliss, or 30 years of bitterness, it's never too early or too late to begin making changes for the better. Every day, we strive to publish articles that will give you something to think about on the way home, with the hopes that we all dig a little deeper, try … [Read more...]