Gò0dNews

Gò0dNews for Couples
Ask any professional athlete and he or she will tell you
that in order to become the best in the field, you have
to put in years of hard work. That old saying of “practice
makes perfect” is true. Why is it then that when it comes
to our marriages, we have the tendency to do a mediocre
job
While dating, ww dress up, put our best foot forward,
and we are always on our best behavior. The words we say
to each other are thought-out, and we forgive easily. Somewhere
along the way, between the kids, bills, and general
responsibilities of life, we forget that practice makes perfect.
The word perfect is such a broad term because it can
mean something different to each of us. Marriage done right
means compromise, communication, investing, and practice.
To be an Olympic athlete requires years of hard work. So
does a great marriage. Nothing worth earning comes easy,
so why do we just seem to quit when it comes to our marriages
One thing we forget to do is date each other. That’s
right, good ole fashion dating. We get so caught up in life
that we forget who we were before we became mothers and
fathers. We forget that we were once newlyweds in love. We
forget why we fell in love, and we lose our sense of identity.
I challenge you to start dating
your spouse. At first, you may find it
awkward, but eventually you will
find that you start talking and get
to know each other again. Like
my husband and me, it may be a
struggle for you to hire a babysitter
and go out. An idea that
could be helpful is to find other
mothers who would like to start
dating their spouses again and
swap out childcare. For example,
they watch your kids the
first Friday of the month, and
you watch theirs the second
Saturday. Dating/investing in
your marriage makes it easier
when you come to the rough
32 // January 2015
Dating Your Spouse
by Melinda Nicodemus
patches. If you are staying connected, then the rough patch
will be just that—a patch—and not a roadblock or dead end.
The devil wants to divide marriages. He wants us to
fight each other instead of the issues. Dating brings us back
to the excitement of waiting for a kiss goodnight and just
holding hands. Dating requires us to connect as husband
and wife and not as parents. Dating helps us to see each
other in a new light and reminds us of all the reasons we fell
in love. Dating gives us something to look forward to among
the hustle and bustle of life. Dating can help remind us that
our spouse is hot and looks mighty fine dressed up! Dating
provides adult conversation, and for stay-at-home moms,
which is crucial!
My husband and I have been married for seventeen
years and we just started dating again a year ago. We had
become complacent with life and each other, but we were
not taking full advantage of all the great things a connected
marriage has to offer. Dating my husband has brought back
the excitement of seeing him come through the door after
work. It has allowed me to see him as a much older, mature,
caring, funny, husband and father—not just the man who
leaves
his shoes and socks on the floor and quite
surely has a book of 101 Ways to Aggravate
the Wife.
Dating has brought back the joy that
had been missing. I don’t want to be
complacent in my marriage anymore;
I wanted to be passionate
about my husband. I want
to enjoy talking to him; I miss
him when he’s gone; I’m
anxious to talk to him about
our days, and I anticipate
his hugs when he walks in
the door. Dating is what my
marriage needs to meet my
level of perfect. I encourage
you to date your spouse and
find your level.
Melinda Nicodemus is married to
Paul and they have three children.
She is the owner and operator of
Nicodemus Photography.