Recently, I have been very busy and distracted. You know the feeling: too much to do at work, the car broke down, family troubles and so on.
This isn’t mind-shattering information, but it is true for many of us. The question I had to answer when I realized I was so distracted was, “how long am I going to allow myself to stay in this state?”
Busyness and distraction can pull you away from what is most important in your life. For me, I could tell distraction was pulling me away from my son, but I could also tell it was causing some separation in the relationship with my wife.
When I realized that, I knew I had been doing wrong.
I realized that I needed to regain my focus and pay attention to the things that really matter in my life. We can’t let distractions pull us away from our walk with Christ. We can let business keep us away from our children or family. And, husbands, we can’t let useless distractions keep us apart or away from our beautiful wives.
We can do better. We can stay focused.
If you can relate to being too busy or too distracted sometimes, then you need to consider doing something substantial. I’m not talking about buying some cheap or thoughtless gift either; I’m talking about meaningful gifts or time that will make an impact in your wife’s day.
The seven-day marriage challenge for husbands was a personal work in progress a few weeks ago. God brought up this idea and continued to pour in ideas and options (substantial options). Personally, I did the seven-day challenge, and although it took a little extra time and effort everyday, it made a huge impact in the heart of my wife and the quality of our marriage.
Here are seven awesome ways to surprise your wife in seven days You can start tomorrow or you can start at the beginning of next week. Either way, just do it.
DAY 1—Intentional Touch
Starting out easy is the best way to do it. I say easy, but being intentional about holding your wife’s hand or putting your arm around her can be difficult. As you take on day one, make sure it is a day you can be around her more often. Don’t wait for her to initiate, take the lead and be intentional about a soft (non-sexual) touch.
DAY 2—Meaningful Text or Note
Everyday the challenge is going to get more and more involved. It’s all right; you can handle it. If you and your wife are regular “texters,” then go beyond the normal boring texts and send her something meaningful. For example, be specific about your appreciation for her or thank her specifically for being a great wife and/or mother. If you don’t text, grab a post-it note or something and write a similar short message. Leave it somewhere she can find it. Let’s keep this love machine rolling.
DAY 3—Actual Card
The little note the day before was nice, but ramp up your game with an actual card. Leave work early or hit up the local store on your lunch break and pick out a nice card. Again, don’t go cheesy with the card, take some time to read and find a card that expresses how you really feel. Pick a card design that maybe relates to her style. Don’t just let her know that you’re thinking about her, but you actually know what she likes! To do it right, pick up this card on day two and surprise her on the morning of day three. If you can’t, pick it up during the day and give it to her that night. Do it!
DAY 4—Small Gift
Well, I finally did it: I threw some images on my zip drive and headed to an instant-photo counter to print some images. I always remember my mom doing this, but I have somehow avoided it. Anyway, my small gift recommendation for day four is to get one to three pictures picked out and get them printed. Note, be sure to pick out a frame first and then print the pictures. I printed three images, got a decent frame and had it put together by the end of day three. On the morning of day four, I was able to text her and surprise her with its location hidden in our house. You don’t have to do pictures, but try to come up with an inexpensive and meaningful gift. She’ll appreciate it and love you!
DAY 5—Flower Time
But flowers are only for holidays, birthdays and anniversaries, right? Wrong. Getting flowers for your wife should happen at any time. The flower surprise can really happen in a few ways. An easy way is to stop in to a shop after work and pick out a nice, small bouquet. Another great way would be to call a local shop and have them deliver the flowers to your house or where she works. Use your best judgment. And try not to go with the standard dozen roses. Get creative and have fun with your choice. Pick a small cluster or a different flower type. Let her know that you put some real thought into it!
DAY 6—Big Gift
What does your wife really like? What does she seem to always talk about or buy a lot of? If you can figure out the answers to those questions, you will know what kind of bigger gift to get for your wife. And by bigger, I mean something of more value by either cost or thought. I personally went with a new charm for one of her bracelets. They are something she really likes and always looks forward to getting more. Again, put some thought into this gift and make it special!
DAY 7—Date Night
Whatever you’re feeling at this point, please don’t feel overwhelmed. All of the challenges listed above take very little time to execute and deliver. You can always choose to end the challenge on day six, but taking your wife out on a fun date night will definitely be a great finish to the week. Plan ahead for this date, and do something fun and out of the ordinary. Take the time when you’re out to talk about the other surprises and discuss what she liked best and why. Listen closely to what she has to say, and make it a point to address her favorites more often.
Are you ready to accept this challenge? You and your marriage might need this more than you think.
Discussion: Why do you think this challenge is necessary, and how could it impact your marriage?
Prayer: Father, thank you for my wonderful wife and marriage. Give me the courage and strength to accept this challenge and pursue it everyday. Thank you.
Action: Stop making excuses, and start planning how you will accomplish this seven-day marriage challenge!
Manturity is a blog built on establishing spiritual maturity in today’s man. The goal is to assist men in building better marriages and help them grow in maturity and explore different aspects of manhood. Manturity.com features new weekly blog posts, daily social media updates and a powerful resources page. Stay up to date with the Manturity blog communities on Facebook and Twitter.
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Joseph Mattera 
BJ Foster 
Shelby Bowen 
