Simple Marriage #3 :: Do The Small Things

A friend of mine once gave me a necklace engraved with the words, “do the small things.” Her intention was to encourage me with the idea that most of life is created from small moments, one after another. Like pearls strung together in a strand, we only know the beauty of life after many small moments line up next to each other. Isn’t the same true about marriage? Maybe in dating it feels like our relationship should be epic, always exciting, but as we live faithfully into marriage we learn a new truth. So many little moments, little actions towards one another, and doing the small things (over and over) creates the life. 

Ann Voskamp puts it this way in speaking of her grandmother, 

The wrinkled faithfulness of monogamy, it can look pedestrian, the kind that finishes well, parades up through the Arc de Triomphe, battle scarred, and the tourists just blithely shuffle by, pigeons taking to oblivious wing. She told me about this.

How she said that the bravest love is wildly faithful and it falls hard again every morning. How it puts the toilet seat down and the cap on the toothpaste and winks for those already-won eyes. It knows what we seek may be found in what we already have.

Want some ideas of the small things? 

There is a GREAT podcast called Small Things Often. Each episode is under 5 minutes but offers great ideas on how to “do the small things” needed to build a good relationship. Maybe each of you could listen to one and spend a few minutes talking about it this week.

Fun Starter: 

Get some Silly String (may I suggest a few cans each?) and have a silly string fight with each other in your backyard or park. Laugh, have fun...and know you’ll get a little dirty, so don’t wear your best clothes!! If you have kids, you might want to include them!

May the Lord give us eyes to see the small things in our marriages!