The Need for Date Nights After the Wedding

Let’s admit it; we’re all busy. Not only that but when you throw kids into the mix, it can often feel like you’re at the mercy of what life has to throw in your direction. If you’re a parent, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Managing the kid's school schedule, extracurricular activities, homework, parent-teacher meetings, and the list goes on. Let’s not forget about managing your career, groceries, bills, social gatherings, etc. It’s easy to feel like the last thing you have time for is a date night with the person you see every day.That’s where you couldn’t be more wrong.Take a moment and think about what your relationship looked like when you were dating. There was intentional time dedicated to getting to know one another. Within that time you had a chance to “put life on pause” not because you had to, but because you wanted to. It was a choice you made then, and you can do the same thing now.The worst thing you can do for your marriage is stop dating your spouse. When you do is when the beginning of decay in your connection starts. Now some of you might be saying “That’s a bit extreme…. We do just fine without date nights”. To that, I have to challenge your ability to see your marriage from the lens of “till death do us part.” If you stop dating your spouse, you won’t be filing for divorce next week, but what you're removing the very ingredient that made you fall in love (to the point where you married him/her). Over time that wears on the relationship. It causes your marriage to slowly lose the excitement and romance that God intended to be there till the very end.We all know that marriage is holy and set apart. I don’t think anyone would dispute that. So why is it that so many of us treat marriage as second in line to so many other things in life? How do we lose sight of when we were madly in love and committed to loving your spouse until your last breath.

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Here are a few reasons my wife and I commit to dates on a regular basis.1. Distraction free time to connect. Whether you have kids or not this first point can apply. When at home we often grab our phones, watch tv, talk about our schedule, or just want some peace and quite. On the other hand, when you block out a time to go on a date it’s an opportunity to create a distraction free environment. One which you block out everything else you have going on and solely connect with one another. That means NOT looking at your phone, but looking into the eyes of the person you love.2. Heart Connection. This comes into play after point one. Once you have blocked out a time, then take that time to connect with one another. Really connect. Men, here’s a side tip… doing this leads to more and better sex… since the emotional connection is very directly connect with pleasure and the ability to orgasm.3. It helps integrate fun into your marriage. When you plan dates, you should plan to do something that’s out of the ordinary. When you break up your routine, it creates more memories and an opportunity to break up “life as usual”. (I’ll expand on this point in a later post)4. It helps create a team dynamic. We only have one life to live. You’ve chosen to live it with the person you married. The last thing you want is to wake up in 5,10, or 20 years and find yourself with a roommate. When we go on dates, it allows us to process the fact that we're doing life with someone. We can laugh, cry, fight, makeup, pray, etc. We’re in it together.I’m sure that others could add to this list, but these should be reason enough to raise the priority of date nights in your marriage.The Challenge:My wife and I try to do a date once a week. Does that always happen? No. But it does keep date nights at the forefront of our connection. If you don’t currently go on dates, try to schedule one in the next month. The goal is to be intentional about connecting with one another. Go ahead. Risk pursuing each other like you were dating again and see what happens.