KEEP ON ROWING!
Row, row, row your boat. Gently down the stream. Merrily merrily, merrily, merrily. Life is but a dream. You’ve probably heard this song before and you’re already singing it and dreaming about rowing a boat
…
THINK ABOUT … YOU AND YOUR SPOUSE ENJOYING A BEAUTIFUL DAY ON A ROW BOAT.
The water is crystal clear, and the sky is light blue.
THEN THE STREAM STARTED FLOWING GENTLY.
You both decide to stop rowing and enjoy the calm water.
BOAT HEADS RIGHT INTO THE BULLRUSHES AT THE EDGE OF THE RIVER.
Now one of you has to get out of the boat to free the boat from the cypress knees hidden under the water. It takes a lot of work, and by the time you’re both back in the boat, you’re ready to call it a day.
In this metaphor, the boat represents the “marriage” relationship. The couple were both sharing the rowing, as in comparison to both doing their part to make sure the marriage is on track.
When one stops rowing, the one left doing all the work only goes in circles. If both, stop rowing, the marriage will drift into an area where it will take extreme effort on both the husband and wife’s part to get “unstuck.” Too many couples think once they’ve said, I Do, that they can drift. We are all creatures of drift in many areas of our life – spiritually, emotionally, physically, and relationally. Marital Drift, happens to every marriage at some point because of financial pressures, disagreements, health challenges, changes in careers, unmet needs or unsatisfied expectations.
HOW YOU AVOID DRIFTING APART IN YOUR MARRIAGE?
TALKING regularly
Talk about the simple and the complex. Try to talk about what you’re not talking about. A scientific study done in the 1970s on “conversations” found there was both a learning and liking of the partners involved.
DATING often
Date night doesn’t have to be elaborate to be wonderful. Aim to have one or more date nights a month. Here is a fun idea:
Roleplay: Meet at a social setting and pretend like you are perfect strangers, then “meet each other” all over again.
Spend more TIME TOGETHER
Any activity can be a bonding moment if you put away the electronic devices and other distractions and simply focus on communicating with each other, Aim to spend at least 30 minutes a day. Like cuddling, taking a walk, or talking over coffee.
Focus on LITTLE THINGS
Grand gestures help, However, relationship experts suggest the little things in the relationship count the most. Here are few examples:
- Expressing gratitude verbally
- kissing hello and goodbye
“And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”– Colossians 3:14