LifeWay Marriage Blog

In preparation for a speaking engagement recently  I came across a cool verse about marriage. The writer of Ecclesiastes was an interesting dude. He went ‘all over the place’ in his philosophy and back again. At one point he was saying all of life was nothing but folly. In chapter 3 he provided some great lyrics that many of us first heard on the radio in the 60’s by the Byrds:

To everything turn, turn, turn

There is a season, turn, turn, turn

And a time to every purpose under heaven…

But in chapter 9 he gets personal with this marriage stuff. The philosophy becomes frighteningly simply yet undeniably wise:

“Enjoy life with the wife you love all the days of your fleeting life…” (HSCB)

No wonder they said he had such wisdom! How can you beat that for marriage enrichment?

Enjoy. Simple as that.

If you are having fun with your mate, don’t feel guilty about it. Enjoy.

If you have lost that loving feeling and don’t have anything in common, work through it:

• Brainstorm together.
• Pray for creativity.
• Like the shepherd looking for that 100th sheep, desperately seek to find that new common activity you and your mate can do together.

Working to get to a point of enjoying each other again is not only okay, it’s biblical. And being biblical means it pleases God. That means it pleases God when

1. you make love with your mate
2. find a hobby to do together (in addition to number one!)
3. laugh together
4. dream together
5. surprise each other with a gift
6. build confidence in each other
7. pray for each other

Be biblical in your marriage by simply enjoying each other. If you are not there right now, work to get there again. I’m not real comfortable with the phrase “falling out of love”; however, I am fully convinced that if you can fall in love – then fall out of love – then you can fall in love again.

Don’t apologize for enjoying your marriage or for seeking to make it enjoyable. It is a gift and you are taking pleasure in the gift. Plus it pleases God. A nice deal all the way around.