I don’t know about you, but most couples often feel overwhelmed and stressed to.the.max by the demands that Christmas can bring.

With that in mind, I’d like to share some principles from Scripture that can lessen our stress with love—“married love” to be precise.

I will be basing my thoughts on one day’s notes taken from my 6 Shades of Love Bible study, as I finish up this blog series: Loving Strong through Holiday Stress.

The passage that I want to discuss is …

“You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride; you have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace. How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much more pleasing is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your perfume more than any spice!” ~Song of Solomon 4:9-10

King Solomon spoke these words to his bride, presumably on their wedding day.

Can’t you just feel the passion in his words?

Don’t you think that this had to be one of the most “delightful” days of his life?

And I can only imagine that any bad stress he might’ve been feeling, quickly evaporated in the joy of knowing he would soon be one with the woman of his dreams.

Love does that for us. 🙂

[bctt tweet=”Love shared between a husband and wife is one of the best places to lessen our stress. #lovemaking ” username=”BethSteffaniak”]

However, as couples move forward in life together, there are two things that often creep into our marriages and weigh them down.

1. Familiarity
2. Stress

1. Familiarity

Now familiarity can be both good and bad for a marriage.

Familiarity helps us to feel comfortable enough to be ourselves with our mates. (Good!)

We can be completely “naked”—in a variety of ways—and feel no shame or fear in marriage. (Good!)

But that comfort level can also tempt us to become lazy in our pursuit of our mate’s heart. (Bad!)

And as the intrigue fades, the feelings of love can fade into apathy. (Bad!)

2. Stress

Each season that a couple goes through in marriage can bring greater levels of stress. As couples welcome children, the demands and burdens grow greater and greater with each passing year. The holidays only accentuate those stressors.

But if we consider the passage above, we can improve our stress levels with love. 😉

How do we improve our stress with love?

1. Affirm our mates

King Solomon did not hold back on affirming his bride/wife, so neither should we! This lowers inhibitions, as well as drawing our mates to us. It also serves to remind us of the good that is always present in our mates, whether we notice it or not.

And don’t just limit your affirmations to the good your mate does or even about personality traits you like.

Affirm your mate’s physical attributes. Did you notice how that was where King Solomon focused much of his loving message to his bride?

2. Go on dates

It’s so easy to center our holiday activities and energies around our children—making it special for them.

There’s nothing wrong with that, but …

[bctt tweet=”We need to carve out special times with our mates by going on holiday dates. #stressless #lovemore” username=”BethSteffaniak”]

Last year, my hubby and I went on a triple date with some friends to see the lights at St. Louis’ Garden Glow. It was so much fun—albeit VERY COLD! But with bulky coats, hand- and foot-warmers, as well as hot chocolate to sip, we stayed warm and cozy!

3. Make Love

Sex is one of the best stress-relievers out there! All sorts of good hormones are released when we touch, kiss and make love. I say, do all three and you’ll be feeling the stress of the holidays melting away in the embrace of your spouse.

[bctt tweet=”Do the trifecta with your spouse this Christmas—touch, kiss, make love! #stressrelievers” username=”BethSteffaniak”]

 

What is another way you can relieve stress with “love” in your marriage? 

 

What is one affirmation you have about your mate that you’d like to share with us?

 

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Here are some lovely linkups I join – Inspire Me Monday, Moments of Hope, Literary Musing Mondays, Dream Together Linkup, Jennifer Dukes Lee, Glimpses Linkup, Tune in Tuesday, Break Through Homeschooling Linkup, Coffee for Your Heart, Sitting Among Friends, Faith and Friends, Fresh Market Friday, and DanceWithJesusFriday

This will be my last post for 2017. I’ll be returning in January after a much-needed Christmas break. Thank you so much for supporting MM this past year! I only hope to bring you more of the posts in 2018 that meet you at your greatest point of interest and need!

Merry Christmas, friends!

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