Some people have said that happiness in relationships or marriages isn’t about money – what is it about then? Here are five simple ways to nurture your marriage or even relationship.
The spiritual dimension of a relationship is key to keeping the two together. There’s a famous saying, “a family that prays together stays together.” It’s very true. Why is praying together that important? It’s during such a moment that blessings from God and reconciliation happens. We’re reconciled with each other, the Bible confirms this in Psalms 133:3 which says,“As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.”
There are so many things that sack life out of relationships, but prayer brings couples into oneness through reconciliation, and restores life and blessings.
I have this friend I met in 2014. Every evening he would sit with his children and testify before praying. One time during the devotions, the youngest who was about 3 years said; “we thank God because papa got transport to take us to church.” The father completed the testimony; “yes! Surely God is good, I didn’t think we were to go, because we didn’t have money but we did.”
Sometime, because of the daily demands we have no play time. However, it’s important. Taking play time out of your relationship keeps it boring. We take life seriously that it’s hard to be funny even before our spouses and what shocks and perhaps bores them is when people compliment us funny yet before our spouses we are always gloomy. Be hilarious in your relationship. There is a time my wife would go for aerobics and she would come all excited just to tell me how people were fairing with the exercises and those moments brought life into our relations.
I don’t have much money, neither did I have it while in courtship but my relationship with my girlfriend who is my wife now has always given me peace. I remember in our courtship, we could just take an evening walk to certain places and despite the increase of our family in size, we still take evening walks. One time she told on one of those days, “am happy we can walk and talk, laugh and be funny with each other on the road. Maybe it’s the reason God hasn’t given us the car”
While growing up in a family of 19, it was a required of us to eat together. In our neighborhood, we have a small community of Lugbara from Zaire, they have been there for a long time and the home has one father and two mothers. But at 6:00pm all the family members gather to eat in one place and one plate. This keeps them together, this tendency of “food is on the table you shall eat while you’re done or you eat am still busy ” doesn’t make Married better. Spare time for meal time, we’re going to be busy always so we need to spare time to eat together.
This sounds simple but it’s impactful. This teaches us teamwork; at least accomplish this one task together before you’re all dispersed into different directions. Teamwork should start as you kick the blankets. Personally, I am always in rush out of bed, and my wife, in a calm voice, has persistently called me back, “help me on that side and we lay the bed.”
If you’re married and you’ve never tested your teamwork skills, just try to re-organize your sitting and bedroom together with your wife. The first time we did this we argued and I even lost interest in the whole thing, I walked out in protest, sat down on the veranda and you can imagine the rest. Over the years we’ve moved on, we still do it together but it’s a test of teamwork, patience and understanding. Despite of the continuity in this habit, we still get red noses.
These five are doable and cost nothing, you don’t need money to pray together, play, eat lay your bed and changing your house or apartment appearance. Yes! Money is important but if you don’t have money to be happy use what you have to be happy.
derrickibbedi@gmail.com | @kybedi_derek
