Look around you, what is one of the main things being attacked in the world today? Particularly in the United States. If you said marriage we are on the same page. Marriage is a bonding of a man and a women who love each other, are committed to each other, and what to spend forever with each other. If those are the reasons why a people get married in the first place, why are nearly 50% of marriages today ending in divorce? There could, and are, quite a few different answers to that question. And instead of going into that issue, I want to keep this on a positive note and talk about a way I think would help a couple grow closer together, through the good times and the bad, and ultimately build a lasting and happy marriage.
One of the five love languages is quality time. No matter what ones "top" love language is I believe that quality times means a lot for just about anyone. Especially for couples. Spending time with someone is how you get to know that person and helps the relationship flourish. Many couples before they get married tend to spend as much together as they possibly can. So why does that seem to change after they get married? True, real life gets in the way. There is always work, school, church, calling at their time, and then once the couple begins having children a whole new factor plays in. If couples aren't careful all of these different facts may potentially pull them apart. They don't take that time together to continue fostering their relationship. They think they don't have the time, or even don't need, to keep spending that quality time together, to keep dating like they did before they got married. A key factor to remember though, is to keep dating after you are married as well.
I'd like to purpose that couples should at least once a week go on a date. Just the two of them. Get a babysitter for the kids and go out and spend good old quality time together. Go to dinner, go to the park, go on a hike. It doesn't have to be big and extravagant, just something that you enjoy and do it together.
I am not married yet, but from observing my parents and other married couples all around me I have been able to see the difference it makes in the couples marriage when they go on a date once a week and spend that quality time together. Their relationships with each other are stronger, and even their relationships with their children are stronger.
Meaningful quality time I believe has the power to build happy and lasting marriages. Give it a try, and see what comes of it.