Hello Friends
For the last few blogs, we have tackled some weighty issues. We have dove into the roles of marriage and how your thought life can affect your marriage in both positive and negative ways. Because we have talked about some very important issues lately, we wanted to give you a breather and have some fun.
Dates and Why They Are Important
A happy heart is good medicine and a joyful mind causes healing,
But a broken spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22
Remember when you and your spouse first met. You went on dates and spent all your time together. Wasn’t that a joyful time? I bet you laughed… a lot. I also bet if you looked back on that time, you realized that life was happening and you may have been going through a hard season personally but it didn’t matter. You were happy.
Dating and the joy it brings can refresh your soul. Laughter and happiness that come during a date are good medicine for your relationship. It doesn’t mean that hard things don’t happen, you just handled them differently.
A date and the joy it brings can refresh your soul. Laughter and happiness that come during a date are good medicine for your relationship.
This is why it is so important for a couple to continue dating after the wedding ceremony. Life not only continues to happen but it gets more complicated after you get married. You have two people, and two different lifestyles coming together. You have bills, jobs, kids, and activities that come. There is always plenty to do that can come before you and your spouse if you let it.
Let’s Make Dating a Non-negotiable
We all have non-negotiables in our lives. Things that we make sure happen because they are important. Let’s make dating one of them.
By being intentional about dating our spouses, it will bring life and health to our marriages. It will literally be like medicine for our relationship.
We have done the work for you.
Here is the great part. We have done the work for you. Below we have given you 10 date ideas other than just going to a restaurant. Pick one or more and go have fun! You don’t even have to give us credit, you can tell your spouse you thought of it yourself and earn some extra points. 🙂
10 Date Ideas
Date #1- Puzzle Date: Take your favorite picture and have it made into a puzzle. Surprise your spouse with the gift then spend time together putting the puzzle together.
Date #2- Make it a Date Day: Get out of town and enjoy the day together. Find a new town with new adventures or go somewhere you have been before and enjoyed. (for our local friends- we have several day date options here…Chattanooga, Atlanta, Huntsville, and Cheaha- just to name a few.
Date #3- Take a Hike: Pack a picnic lunch and go explore the outdoors together.
Date #4- Spa Date: Take some time to relax together. Get a couples massage or get manicures and/or pedicures together. (Men, don’t rule this one out… you will not regret it, I promise… Alex)
Date #5- Virtual Date: For the ones who are apart from their spouses due to sickness, work travel, etc, have a virtual date. Do a zoom call and have dinner together or watch your favorite movie together. You can still have fun even if you are not physically together.
Let’s take it up a notch!
Date #6- Paint Class: Sign up for a painting class together OR go to Hobby Lobby and buy all the materials and have your own paint party at home. Get creative and see what you can design as a couple.
Date #7- Scavenger Hunt Date: Now this one will take some pre-planning but come up with clues and go on a scavenger hunt with your spouse. (You can download free scavenger hunt ideas on Google or you can buy a kit by clicking here.
Date #8- Adventure Date: Do something adventurous together. Go kayaking, skydiving, rock climbing, paintballing, ice skating, etc. Extra points if it is something neither one of you has done. These kinds of dates created great stories you can share for years to come.
Date #9- Cooking Date: sign up for a cooking class OR go buy all the ingredients for your favorite dish and create it together. Make it romantic and enjoy it by candlelight.
Date #10- Volunteer Date: nothing brings more joy than serving others. Doing so with your spouse will only double the joy. Find a way to serve others together. Volunteer at a soup kitchen together. Go to restaurants or gas stations and pay for a stranger’s meal or pay for their gas.
Time to Have Fun!
Great marriages are built brick by brick, day after day, over a lifetime.
D. F. Uchtdorf
Above are just a few ideas to get you started. Dating can bring such life into a relationship. Now go and have fun with your spouse!
You can do this!
We are praying for you!
For more ways to invest in your marriage check out our book: “A Beautiful Adventure Marriage: A Guide for the Marriage God created for You” by clicking here.