As important as it is to redeem our time during the years of singleness, it is equally important to continue redeeming the time during the years of marriage. The valuable use of time is crucial at every stage of life. Husbands and wives should mutually encourage one another “to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).

Many couples have found that the marriage years slip past with increasing and alarming rapidity. Oftentimes, young couples on their honeymoon assume that they will have an entire lifetime to spend in each other’s company. But the realities of life soon crowd in. Career and home pressures consume time and attention. Friends and family make their demands upon a couple’s time. Even church events, as good and edifying as they might be, can encroach upon valuable time that a couple might spend together.

Then, children come into the marriage. Children are indeed a great blessing! However, if a husband and wife are not careful, they can allow children to dominate and monopolize their time. The result leaves very little time left for one another. We must beware of a situation similar to Isaac’s fatherly love for his son Esau and Rebekah’s motherly love for her son Jacob. Sometimes children can actually pull a husband and wife apart rather than drawing them together as God intended.

Little by little, event by event, project by project, appointment by appointment, life slips slowly by. Hairlines over the temples slowly grow gray and creases of care gradually etch wrinkles in brows and cheeks that were once smooth and fair in the bloom of youth. Before they know it, a husband and wife can look at each other in astonishment and ask, “Where did life go?”

If you are married, it is vitally important that at the start of every new year you take the time to evaluate your relationship with your spouse. Are you redeeming the time? Are you allowing competing appointments and activities to pull your heart away from your spouse? Are you spending idle moments on the internet, engaged heavily in social media, shopping online, or simply browsing news articles?

One of the tragedies of our modern era is when husbands and wives sit together on the couch or across the table from one another and each one is engrossed in their phone or device, thoughtlessly ignoring one another. In the days of television, at least a couple could watch the same thing at the same time! Not so in our modern day of personalized entertainment at the fingertips.

What are some practical ways that you can redeem the time with your spouse?

For husbands:

Set aside a special night each week to invest quality time and attention in the welfare of your wife. Take her out to dinner. Find an activity that she enjoys sharing with you. Buy her a special gift. Turn off your phone so that you can listen, talk, and relish one another’s company. It will be an investment of time and effort that you will never regret.

For wives:

Demonstrate delight in your husband’s presence. Anticipate his return from work each day with special meals or treats that he enjoys. Turn off your phone or leave it in the bedroom when you are in the presence of your beloved. Don’t take calls from your friends when your husband is there. Be excited about what he is excited about. Listen to his stories from work. Take an interest in his interests. Go along with him on his favorite activities. When you prioritize your husband, he will prioritize you, and your time together will be treasured and anticipated.