52 First Dates: Week Fifty-Two (We Did It!)

52!! 

Can you believe it?

Fifty-two weeks of dating our spouses???

We did it!

I hope and pray that this series of dating ideas has sparked your imagination and rejuvenated your marriage.  It's my personal belief that few relationships are more important than a strong marriage and that a strong marriage will build happier, more resilient children, and a healthier society.  So I hope the past 52 weeks has been a blessing to your family and your marriage.

With that in mind, I'd like to close this 52 First Dates challenge with one more date idea:

This week, go out with your spouse.  Pick a place to go out to dinner.  Even if your budget is stretched, find a way to make it work.  It doesn't have to be fancy.  It just needs to be some place that you can go when the TV is off, the cell phone can't ring, and the kids aren't around.  

While you're there, take a moment to look back on the past year of your marriage.  How have you grown?  Are there areas in your marriage that have drawn you closer than you could have ever imagined?  What have been some of the major milestones and turning points in your relationship together over the past 52 weeks?

Take a moment to recommit to each other.  Maybe you'll continue a weekly date night.  Maybe it will be bi-weekly.  Maybe you're committing to couch time 5x a week.  Maybe you're committing to working through the 52 First Date challenge again.

Fill out a commitment form together, stating your goals for the next year.  What are the steps you are going to actively use to make your goals a reality?  Is there a day of the week you'll have your dates on? Will you have a one on one date monthly or weekly?  What is the purpose of these dates?

Seal your time praying together, thanking God for the blessings He's brought to your relationship and asking him to draw you even closer together.  Commit your relationship to Him and ask Him to use it as a blessing and testimony to those around you.

It has truly been a blessing for me to walk through the past 52 weeks with you.  While this is the end of 52 First Dates, I will be back with more marriage challenges in the future to keep you on your toes.  Remember to never stop investing in your marriages!