Have you been watching the stock market lately? It has been hitting some all-time highs. I hope you’re experiencing some great rewards.
Are you an investor or a consumer? And what does that have to do with Marriage? Let’s think about it for a minute. What is the difference? A consumer is a person who is focused on today. He works all week, and then spends every penny of his paycheck on things to consume, food, drink, entertainment, etc… At the end of the day, he has nothing of value to show for his money except that he had a good time. He consumes all of his resources. An Investor takes a different approach. He is focused on the future. He also works all week, but instead of spending all of his pay on consumables, he spends a portion on things that retain value, and hopefully go up in value.

A consumer will approach his marriage with the attitude: “I want my needs met!” An investor will ask: “What can I do to make this relationship thrive?” He will invest his energy into developing a marriage that is healthy today, and it will get better and better over time.

Jesus is an investor; and He encourages us to be investors as well.

Ephesians 5:25-27 says: Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious bride…

So, when is the best time to invest? Should I wait until my “marital stock” is up, or is it best to invest when it is down? People who try to time the market either never jump in, or they jump in or out at exactly the wrong time. There is a practice called dollar cost averaging which means you invest a consistent amount regularly, regardless if the market is up or down. Investing regularly is a good practice in marriage.

How can we be investors in our marriages and not merely consumers? By loving and serving our spouse today; and by pouring our life into them. Investing is so much more satisfying than consuming. Sweat equity becomes sweet equity.
If we invest ourselves in our spouse, we will reap major dividends that will last a lifetime.