This simple one-week exercise has helped countless couples recharge their marriages and it could help you too!
I'm convinced that if you will consistently do these things every day for a week, you'll have a completely new direction in your marriage by the week's end...
1. Make love every day
You husbands are already onboard! If this is the only thing you do, your marriage will still be stronger in a week. It takes more than sex to make a healthy marriage, but it's impossible to have a healthy marriage without it. Even if you and your spouse aren't in a good place right now and the idea of intimacy seems repulsive, do it anyways. Sex is a powerful force that will help you reconnect on a physical, emotional and spiritual level.
2. Write a love note to your spouse each day
Each day, write out a love note. Don't just tell your husband/wife you love them, but also tell them specific things you love and appreciate about them. They don't have to be long, but make them meaningful. These seven love letters will most likely become treasures he/she will hold onto for years to come.
3. Say nothing negative
For one solid week, you're not allowed to say anything negative or demanding. If you don't have something positive to say, don't say it. Get out of the habit of negativity and nagging. When you slip up on this one, your spouse is allowed to call you out and you've got to immediately apologize and follow up with saying three kind things about your spouse. This might sound childish, but you'll be amazed at how it can change the tone of your words and your relationship. If you blow it on this one, you have to say three positive things for the one negative thing you said.
4. Spend one hour in conversation while all electronics are turned off
We live in a world where it's possible to be in the same room but in different worlds. You can't have a meaningful conversation with your spouse while you're texting with someone, watching TV, and working on your laptop. For at least one hour each night, after the kids are asleep, turn off the TV and all electronics and have conversation. Maybe you've forgotten how to do it, but you'll pick it back up quickly. Talk about your day, your hopes, your dreams and anything else that comes to your mind. That seven hours of uninterrupted conversation over the course of the week will be fuel for your marriage!
5. Pray together every night
This one might freak you out a little bit, but I'm convinced that prayer is one of the most intimate and important acts a couple can do together. Even if you've never done it before, pray together daily (out loud). Thank God for all the good in your life, ask Him to forgive you of the mistakes you've made and be specific about the mistakes and tell him about your hopes and your fears. Pour out your heart to your Creator in front of your spouse and you'll connect with each other, and with God, on a new level.
6. Post one thing you love about your spouse on social media each day
Don't just tell your spouse how you feel about him/her, but also share some of those compliments with the world. Each day, post one thing you love about him/her with a picture of them or a picture of the two of you together. Your spouse will love it.
7. Each day, create one new shared goal for the future
Couples who keep dreaming together keep growing together. Dream about places you want to travel, accomplishments you want to achieve and new adventures you want to create together. Each day, commit to at least one of those goals as a commitment you're making to each other and start looking forward to the adventure ahead!
This article was originally published on Patheos. It has been republished here with permission.
