“Two are better than one, because
they have a good reward for their labor.
For if they fall, one will lift up his companion…” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
We charge up everything in our lives,
cell phones, readers, computers, cars, you name it, and we charge it. We charge these things because the battery
wears from regular use, and a simple recharge can return it to its previous
ability of functioning and productivity. More importantly, we charge these things
because we have deemed them as an important aspect of our lives that we need,
and having dead batteries is simply unacceptable.
Relationships are not that different,
they require the same amount of care and attention. Life becomes chaotic, balance is lost, and we
don’t always make the best decisions when it comes to our partners. The difference between people and things is
that we cannot always detect when a relationship battery is low. Computers and phones give us indicator lights
in a variety of colors to demonstrate the urgency, but humans are as bit more
complex. Partners demonstrate their
relationship batteries are low through behaviors and language. However, what if both partners are so busy
they are unaware their marriage battery is low, but one or both clearly notice
that something is awry? Remain dedicated
to recharging your relationship batteries by recognizing the signs that the
indicator light is on low, and in danger of burning out, and it in before it
dies. Signs your battery is low:
1.
Rituals are low, stopped or non-existent
in your relationship.
2.
Life priorities take precedence over
quality time with your partner.
3.
You cannot remember the last time you
asked your partner out on a date.
4.
You cannot remember the last time you
flirted with your partner.
Ritual is important in relationships,
and serves as a way to charge our relational batteries regularly. In relationships it is important not to settle
for merely having a battery that is charged, but ensure that the quality of the
relationship with all of its benefits and applications are also at maximum
capacity to produce harmony.
Many things interest many people,
therefore, it is important for couples to slow down and recognize what is
important to them, and integrate those priorities into their rituals they
choose to recharge their relationships.
Listed are a few examples:
1.
Read a nightly passage, poem,
scriptures together in bed and discuss it.
2.
Send each other flirtatious messages
or texts throughout the day.
3.
Set aside time each night to engage
in fifteen minutes of “connect time,” a hug, a caress,
a conversation, a joke (laughter is a
great ritual to have or start daily in your lives).
In order for these to work, they need
to be implemented daily, once you remember to make one another a priority, the
process will organically and naturally happen.
Give it a month, and the indicator light may not need to come on,
because you will recognize the need to charge your marital battery before it
gets too low. Happy charging.
