Last week we talked a lot about New Year’s resolutions. By this time, I’m usually falling off the bandwagon and giving up on my typically LONG list of resolutions. This year, I’m still making them! Some may say I’m just procrastinating, but I say I’m making the most of an opportunity: the opportunity to be all that I can be in God and for His kingdom. It’s a chance I get every single day… and so do you!
Like many of you reading this right now, I have lots of different hats I wear. I’m a wife, a mom, a homemaker, a sister (both spiritual and physical), a Bible class teacher, and several other things as well. One of my perpetual resolutions is to be a better wife. I fully intend to be married to this man for the rest of my life and I’d like for those years to be happy! That doesn’t happen without some effort, though.
Contrary to what television teaches and just about every love song out there croons, people don’t just fall in and out love– not real love, anyway. Real love is a verb (you know– an action word). It’s something we work at, pray for, and take care of diligently just like a runner does with his sport. Biblically speaking, love isn’t even a feeling; it’s a command! Three times in Ephesians chapter five husbands are commanded to love their wives (Ephesians 5:25, 28, 33). The wife, on the other hand, is not commanded to love her husband, but rather to respect him. I don’t think that’s our ticket to cop out, though. I don’t think God would be exactly pleased if we just let it slide and not make any effort in our marriages. How is your husband going to know that you respect him? The word translated “respect” in Ephesians 5:33 is the same word translated “fear” in 1 Peter 2:17 where it says “Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.” We show God we love Him and fear Him by our work for Him, by our acts of service and our devotion to His people. How do we translate that into our marriages? What is a practical way for me to meet my goal to be a better wife in 2012? For starters, here’s a list from a recent post from Cindy Colley on the Colley House (with a bit of her introduction):
Below is a list of romantic ideas for each month of 2012. Why not resolve this year to keep the romantic creativity alive and well all year round in your marriage? The kindness of Ephesians 4:32, the golden rule of Matthew 7:12 and the forgiving spirit of the bottom of Romans 12 will come easier in marriage if we keep the joy of Proverbs 5:18 alive.
A promise: If you do these things and your husband is a Christian (a faithful follower of the Lord), come next December, your marriage joy meter will have inched on up toward bliss.
January
Buy a box of conversation hearts. Choose appropriate ones and make a message for your husband around his dinner plate.February
Make a little Valentine box for your kitchen table. Wrap a shoe box in red gift wrap and cut a slit in the top for cards to be placed in the box. Buy a box of kids valentines and when you think of things you appreciate about your husband, jot them on the little cards and drop them in the box. Then on Valentines day, break in over cocoa and cookies!March
Drop a note and a Hershey’s kiss in your husband’s briefcase or lunch bag or tape it to his steering wheel.April
Call your house or your husband’s cell phone and leave a message for your husband. Pick a time when you know that he is away from that phone and will soon return to hear the message. Just tell him you’re thinking about him and hope he’s having a good day.May
Surprise your husband by writing a good morning note on his shaving mirror with a dry erase marker.June
For Father’s Day, make your husband king for the day. Everyone in the house has to be at his beck and call. Start with coffee or breakfast in bed.July
Get a sample of an expensive men’s cologne at the Parisian or Dillard’s counter and put a sentimental note along with the sample on his pillow.August
Pick a favorite hobby. Purchase a small token that pertains to the hobby (an inexpensive fishing lure, a golf ball (signed with love), a pair of thermal socks for hunting, etc…). Place your little gift along with a note in his shoes. The note should say something like, “You are the catch of my lifetime,” or “Think of me when you tee off!” or “From your prize DEAR.” Be creative!
September
Remember the anniversary of your marriage every month. Start this month. On the day of the month that you married, send a greeting card, go out for coffee, give him a coupon for his favorite meal or dessert. Stop at Sonic and share a shake. Celebrate your marriage in some small way every month.October
Get a copy of something he loves to read, a magazine, a religious periodical or even the TV Guide if absolutely necessary. In the margins and between the lines write little love notes on each page. For example, if the page has a picture of a very nice looking man write, “He is so wimpy compared to you!” If there is an article entitled, “How to Make the Most of your Time” write below this title, “Look Me Up, I may be Free!” Have fun with this one!November
When you do the laundry, write a love note or poem and place it inside a folded pair of his socks.December
On December 14th, begin the twelve days of Christmas. Each day from then through Christmas day, sing the appropriate verse of the song, and give him a small token of your affection…a candy bar, a drive out to view holiday lights, a handmade ornament or a candy cane, a warm pair of socks, a shared milkshake, a bag of pistachios, a glass of eggnog, or a sprig of mistletoe. At our house we even have motions that go with the song. It’s fun!
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Welcome! We are so glad you stopped by. Come Fill Your Cup is a group of Christian ladies dedicated to equipping women for study and service. We know you are busy and that life’s hectic pace pulls you in so many directions, but you can’t truly be the woman God desires unless you take time to fill your own cup…not with spa days (though we love a good spa!) or the latest novel…but with God’s Holy Word. We want to help you with that! Our goal is to reach you in the midst of your busy day and give you encouragement, education, and fellowship as you strive to live the life God has laid before you. Our prayer is that we can help fill your cup so that you, in turn, can overflow to all those around you. So, as we like to say…come fill your cup, and let it overflow!