For a lot of people, this question causes them to scratch their heads. If someone had asked them years earlier if they were investing in their fiancé or their boyfriend or girlfriend, it would have been much easier to answer. Because odds are, at that stage in the relationship, they constantly wanted to do things for the other person that would cause the relationship to grow and deepen. But how about now?
As we move along in the years of marriage, it is easy to grow complacent, and let’s be honest, fail to actively invest. So, today, I want to look at three active tips that we can all take to intentionally invest in our most important and significant relationship.
- Demonstrate to your spouse how valuable they are. This can be done in a number of ways, such as: sacrificing your plans to do what they would like to do; acknowledge his or her strengths and special abilities; and genuinely show interest in your mate’s passions, interests, and dreams.
- Honestly address issues. Rather than sweep problems under the carpet in order to avoid conflict, love your spouse enough to engage in healthy conflict – talking openly and non-defensively about things that bother you.
- Finally, surround yourself with couples you are committed to strong marriages. Be deliberate about building relationships with those who view their marriage as sacred and lifelong. The influence of those relationships can encourage us during challenging seasons.
While these three steps may not contain any new information, putting them into regular practice can make all the difference to your marriage. Why not begin to try these strategies today and see if the magic of investing in your partner might just produce the kind of benefits that they did when the relationship first began.