Your spouse deserve more please......

Your spouse does not deserve left overs

I. Love. Leftovers…When it comes to food. There’s not too much that doesn’t reheat better the second time around. But when it comes to relationships? Leftovers suck.

Do you…

Give all your energy to your job and then come home and plop in front of the TV to veg?

Become the life of the party at a work function but then when your spouse tries to talk to you they can’t get two words out of you?

Show patience with everyone from the grocery clerk to the gas station attendant and then blow up over the tiniest thing with your spouse?

Spend so much time doing your own thing that there’s no time left in the day to give to your spouse or kids?

Your spouse needs your attention, your energy, your patience, your love, your communication…your time.  Are they getting it? And, not just what’s left over. Not just what’s at the bottom of the barrell. Are you making your spouse and kids a priority and actually planning your time with them? Do you know if they feel like they are priorities in your life?

Yes, its fun to spend time with friends and go out after work with co-workers and throw yourself into a hobby but at the end of the day those people and things shouldn’t matter more. And if they do…its time to re-evaluate.

A while back we were listening to a podcast from Mark Driscoll and he was talking about what it means to be a husband and wife. He said something that has stuck with us to this day. When you choose to get married and choose to have kids, other people and things move down the list. If they haven’t…its time to re-evaluate. We’ll make this easy for ya…

God

Spouse

Kids

Work

In. That. Order.

If, at the end of the day, you have time left over for hobbies, television, facebook (eek!), extra-curricular activities, perfectly landscaped yards, by all means – have at it. We’re pretty sure you won’t though. Those other things will have to fall away. At least for now.

Do we really want our spouse and kids to look back in 10, 20 years and say, “I asked them to spend time with me but all they ever did was…” You fill in the blank for yourself. Do we really want all those other things at the expense of quality relationships with the people who matter most?

Your spouse and your kids don’t deserve your leftovers. They deserve the best you have to give.  Don’t use it all up before 5 p.m. every day.

Choose to stop wearing so many hats.

Choose to say “yes” more to your family and “no” more to those other things.

Choose to walk through the doors of your home each day prepared to give the best of your attitude, time, conversation, and love.

- See more at: http://marriagelifeministries.org/?p=469#sthash.L45NWrAR.dpuf