This past weekend, my husband took just the two of us up to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, for an overnight getaway! He and I enjoyed all the romance of a beautiful cabin, a dusting of snow, a Jacuzzi, a hot tub, and a lot of QUALITY TIME TOGETHER! The baby had terrific babysitters, by the way, and everything was WONDERFUL!
Lots of women like to complain that their husbands NEVER take them out on dates or do anything romantic with them. The fact of the matter is, sometimes we women can be too “practical” for our own good! We can “shoot down” every romantic idea our husbands ever have, until they eventually just quit trying! It’s true! I’m often guilty of doing it, myself! Think about it for a minute. How many of us coupon-clipping, low-grocery-budget wives automatically say, “But, Honey, we really don’t have the money for that, right now!”, as soon as our husbands suggest a restaurant for dinner or a date-night movie rental?! It isn’t fair to say that Hubby isn’t romantic anymore, if we never ALLOW him to be! I Corinthians 7:33 “But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife.” A wise and loving husband may realize the need for some alone-time for the two of you, before you even realize the need for it, yourself!
For many stay-at-home moms, the husband is the only “breadwinner” in the family. The sad thing is, the WIFE is often the one who solely determines where the finances go! Shouldn’t the “thrifty” wife allow her husband to lovingly spend some of the money HE has earned, HIS way?! I’m not saying let the children starve or the bills go unpaid! I’m just sharing with you one of the most valuable lessons I learned, back during our pre-wedding marriage counseling days – when your husband is trying to express his love by spending money on YOU or YOUR MARRIAGE, LET HIM!! Song of Solomon 2:4 “He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.” A wife who immediately comes up with a million excuses why NOT to do what her husband has lovingly suggested, is “tearing down”, rather than “building up”! Proverbs 14:1 “Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.”
People who say they’re WAITING to get married until they have enough money, or WAITING to have children until they have enough money, or WAITING to take a romantic trip until they have enough money, often wait until it’s too late! Who’s to say that you’ll still be ABLE to have a baby by the time you’ve finally determined you “have enough money” to “afford” one?! Who’s to say your beloved spouse will still be LIVING by the time you get around to that “special date” together?! We are not promised tomorrow! God wants us to be good stewards of all He has placed in our hands, and part of His will is for us to keep our families and our marriages STRONG! You CANNOT TAKE YOUR MONEY WITH YOU! Luke 12:20 “But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?” Does this mean you should spend everything you have and never save a dime? No! Does this mean you should spend your family’s way into bankruptcy? No! But do you realize what just one overnight trip or one marriage retreat can do to strengthen the love that you share with your spouse?! Do you realize what just one dinner “out”, without the thought of work, children, or dirty dishes, can do to relax your spirits and rekindle the flame in your marriage?! Don’t throw all of that away for the sake of having just a little more “financial security”! “What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” (Mark 10:9) God means for your marriages to be strong!
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