4:8 Your Mate

Valentine's Day is upon us! For many people, this is the one day each year that you and your significant other go above and beyond to show the other how much they are loved! I will be the first to admit that I like getting gifts, but more importantly, I LOVE giving gifts!

My husband and I started dating in college. We were like most college students and didn't have a lot of money (except after selling back our text books at the end of the semester!), but we always got each other a special Valentine's Day gift! If you asked me today what all the Valentine's Day gifts I received, I could tell you one, actually two. My husband got me two stuffed animals for our first Valentine's Day, but other than that, I cannot recall any other gifts. This means one of two things: either my husband is not very good at buy memorable gifts, or the gifts themselves, don't really matter. I choose the latter!

This year, since we have a baby, the idea of going out to eat with all the other crazy love birds seemed more chaotic than romantic, so we opted to stay at home and I cooked dinner. After the baby went to bed we had time to share some romance. I recently read a book called, The 4:8 Principle: The Secret to a Joy-filled Life, by Tommy Newberry. This book is based off Philippians 4:8, in which the apostle Paul asks us to think positively. At the end of the book, in the Afterward section, the author lists what he calls 4:8 Questions to help you continue to think positive. There are questions for a 4:8 Marriage. My husband and I decided to sit down and answer these questions openly with each other. It was the most romantic gifts of my life, as corny as that may sound! So many times I think these amazing thoughts or pray for my husband, our family and our marriage, but rarely do we sit down and actually share what is on our minds or in our prayers to each other. What a great gift to give!

If you would like to 4:8 your mate or your marriage, check out the 4:8 website. You can print off some bookmarks that have a few different the 4:8 Questions on them under the 'toolbox' section. I use these bookmarks in the books I read in the morning and evening, so I sandwich my day with positivity!

Happy Valentine's Day!