Cherish is a word most of us use in our wedding vows, but most likely don’t realize what it means.
Cherish: to keep or cultivate with care and affection; to entertain or harbor in the mind deeply and resolutely; (“Cherish.” Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2017.)
We are hosting a Marriage Community Group in our home and are reading Gary Thomas’ new book, Cherish, along with watching his excellent DVD series. The conversations have been lively, challenging and fun as we consider together what it looks like to cherish our spouse on a daily basis.
These are a few of the ways we can cherish our spouse:
- Think the best of your spouse.
- Give them the benefit of the doubt.
- Cherish them in ways that are meaningful to them, not you.
- Show them honor in front of others as well as in private.
- Listen with your eyes.
- Listen not because the topic interests you, but because of the one who is talking.
As you can see cherishing our spouse means putting them in the place of honor and respect in our heart, mind and actions. Oftentimes we wait for our spouse to deserve our praise, when in fact we should praise them to encourage them.
Gary said, “It makes me want to be a better man, to be the man she thinks I am.”
How are you doing in the area of cherishing your spouse? If you’re like us, even after 38 years of marriage, we still need to grow. Why not start today?
You can order the book and DVDs here and here.
The Romantic Vineyard 