Loving Your Wife Well By Matt JacobsonÖrnek

Day Five Fun, Fun, Fun Scripture: Ecclesiastes 4:9–12 Remember those first years of marriage? You used to laugh a lot together. You had a great deal of fun back then. But life has a way of sucking the fun right out of marriage, doesn’t it? It doesn’t have to be that way. As the husband, you have a large responsibility to make sure you are finding the time and creating the circumstances for the two of you to have some fun together. This week, take charge. Don’t let life use up all your available time and prevent the two of you from spending a little of that time together. Help your wife set aside all the demands on her energy and responsibilities that never stop. Pick a few hours some day before the week’s end. Tell her, “You’re fun to be with,” and then prove it by sharing your idea for a three-hour getaway with her. Every one of us wishes for people to want to hang out with us—and for no other reason than they just like to be with us. Every one of us wants to be wanted. Your wife is no different. She doesn’t want you to “fulfill your duty” and spend an hour with her doing errands because you feel obligated. She wants to know that you enjoy her company. Taking each other for granted is one of the many things in marriage that is so easy to do. And many men, when asked by their wives, “Do you even want to spend time with me?” respond indignantly, “Of course. Where did you even get that idea?” How about from your countenance, your behavior (when was the last time you initiated being together without an agenda or a to-do list?), or the fact that you’ve never communicated directly how you enjoy her company? Smile with your eyes and tell your wife, “I like spending time with you!” Then ask her if she is free on Saturday afternoon (or whenever) for a couple of hours to go out for coffee, lunch, or dinner; go for a walk in the park; go to the art museum; go on a bike ride…. Say it, then prove it. It’s so simple and it means so much to her heart. When was the last time you and your wife simply had fun together? How did it change your relationship?