Make More Time for Your Husband or Wife

The Bible says a lot about the bond between husband and wife. Ecclesiastes 4:9 tells us that two are better than one, for “if either of them falls down, one can help the other up.” God teaches us to honor our spouses, love them, and uphold them. With a busy lifestyle, it can be easy to push time with your partner aside. You may assume your spouse will always be there, regardless of how much time and energy you dedicate to him or her. Yet pushing your partner to the bottom of your priority list can ultimately drive a wedge between you two – one you may not be able to repair. Here are three ways to make more time for your partner starting right now.

Take Time for Daily Devotions

Attending to daily devotions together is an amazing step on your joint spiritual journeys. Take a few minutes out of your day when you are together – early in the morning before work or before you eat supper as a family. Pray together, holding hands, to make the moment even more powerful. Set aside a specific time of day for devotions, and hold each other to the commitment to Christ. You will both grow to look forward to your devotion time together, to grow as a couple and as disciples of God.

Make your prayer or Bible study time a priority despite demanding schedules, not a luxury for when you have time. You may find you never have time for devotions if it consistently drops off your daily to-do list. You and your partner must truly want to dedicate time every day for devotions to make it work. Otherwise, your hearts won’t be in it and the habit will fade off into nothingness. Speak with your partner and broach the subject of wanting to do daily devotions together. Eventually, this time together will become habitual – the perfect way to grow together and do so in Christ’s light.

Read the Bible Together

What better way to spend time with your partner than to tackle another common resolution – reading the Bible from beginning to end? You and your partner can accomplish both at the same time by reading the Bible together. If you have the leisure of going to bed together without interruptions from children, take turns reading passages or chapters of the Bible aloud to one another before you fall asleep. This is the perfect way to wind down together after a long, busy day, and to go to sleep with God on your mind.

If you don’t have time to sit and read with your spouse, try to fit in Bible readings in other ways. Read excerpts aloud while your partner drives, does household chores, or cooks dinner. You can also read the Bible separately on your own time, then come together a few times a week to discuss what you both read. Create chapter goals and accomplish them together, even if you have to read during your lunch break at work and your spouse reads at home with the kids. Reading the Bible together can be fun and spiritually fulfilling.

Be Flexible and Forgiving

It can be easy to give up or point the finger at your partner if he or she consistently has to cancel plans with you – or vice versa. Yet throwing in the towel will not help your relationship. Instead of getting angry with your spouse for his or her busy schedule, strive to be flexible and forgiving. If a certain date or time continuously doesn’t work out, try switching it up. For example, if you’ve tried to arrange a Friday date night in the past but your partner consistently has to cancel for work, try for a Sunday breakfast instead.

Going out of your way to make your own schedule flexible and to forgive your partner for having to cancel can encourage an environment of give and take. It can show your partner that you are willing to do anything to make time for him or her. It’s important to note, however, that you should not be the only one willing to be flexible and forgiving. It takes two to make a relationship work. Show your partner that spending time together is an important aspect of a healthy, happy relationship, and that you need him or her to meet you halfway.

A common trait among all great marriages is going out of your way to spend time with one another. Even in the face of hectic schedules, raising children, and full-time jobs, it is critical to find time to spend with your partner for a happy and healthy relationship.