Make Time for Yourselves to Have Fun and Enjoy Life

               As wives, mothers, and grandmothers, we rarely have time for fun. Your husband and you work hard to provide a home, food, and all of the necessities of life for your family. Paying bills, working, and raising children can be stressful and taxing without taking a respite, time away from the home and go out and do some things that you enjoy.

             Take time for yourselves daily. Every morning, get up 15- 30 minutes earlier so you can have time to meditate and pray before starting your day. 1 Timothy 4:15 states, "Meditate upon these things;  give thyself wholly to them: that thy profiting may appear to all. KJV. I find that prayer and meditation, first thing in the morning, helps my day go smoother by putting on The Whole Amour of GOD. Ephesians 6:11 says, "Put on the whole amour of GOD, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. KJV.

          The daily hustle and bustle of busy family life and your careers, chasing your dreams and aspirations, will drain you if you don't take time out for yourselves. Weekly, have a date night with your spouse, just the two of you.  Married couples need time away for a few hours to enjoy themselves and each other. Plan 2 date nights a month outside of the home. Have dinner at your favorite restaurant and go see a movie together. If you have children, you may be on a tight budget and can't go out once every week. So, maybe 2 nights a month you plan a nice dinner, get some movies and a babysitter for a couple of hours. Married couples need that time away for a few hours to enjoy themselves and each other's company. You can do what he likes to do sometimes. If he likes sporting events and you don't particularly like sports, compromise sometimes. Then he can go and do some things that you like sometimes; like a concert, a play or the ballet. Then sometimes do things that you both enjoy doing together.

           Mothers, take time to enjoy an evening bubble bath when you finish helping with homework, dinner, bath time for the kids and putting them to bed, preparing for the next day to do it all over again! When my children were young, that is what I did to unwind after going to school myself and working. I had to help the children with their homework, then do my homework and housework. By the children's bedtime, I was exhausted! I would run a very hot bubble bath and light candles all around my bathtub. I'd read something for leisure, by candlelight, a novel, instead of a textbook. I needed that time for myself so I could recharge, have peace of mind, and relax after a busy day.

           Also, if you are involved in a church group, a sorority, or other community group, meet and fellowship with other women that you have things in common with. Take time to do the things that you like to do with your girlfriends at least once a month. Have a ladies night out, do Sunday brunch with the girls, or start a book club. Maybe go to a shopping outlet; make a day of it and have lunch after shopping. It is important to fellowship with other women sometimes. Titus 2: 3-6 says, "Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to too much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign The Word of GOD." (KJV)

       Your husbands needs time for themselves as well. I am still learning after all of these years, to let my husband to unwind first when he first comes home from work before I talk to him about family or business matters. Ladies, the guys need time away to bond with other guys and have fun apart from you and the children. If your house or apartment has extra space, make a room in the house for your husband, a man cave with all of his favorite sports memorabilia, so he can have a space in the home to unwind, pray and meditate (when not praying together), entertain his friends and just have space in your home that they can be by themselves. We need a space in our homes that we can go into; a quiet place to pray, meditate (when not praying together), do hobbies as well as a place of relaxation for you.

       Life Coach, Martha Beck, makes a great case for having a really good time.  "I am dead serious about fun. As a Life Coach, I am determined to help all my clients have as much fun as they possibly can!" "I'm often surprised," she says, "by how vehemently some of them reject this idea. They see fun as trivial, unworthy and disputable. Maybe they'll have fun someday? But not until they've made a huge fortune or get that big promotion at work that they are up for."

Let me say this to that. Tomorrow isn't promised to anyone. Life is short, so enjoy life to the fullest. Take time to have fun.

Mrs. Davita Carter ~ Guest Blogger
Proverbs 31 Woman Ministry