Let all that you do be done with love. 1 Corinthians 16:14

It’s summertime here in the South! Woohoo! Shouldn’t the living be easy?

Yet, even if with a vacation thrown in, this season seems to zip by as fast as it does during workdays and school months. It will fly by again—unless we carve out a few hours here and there to deliberately spend time together. 

This is especially critical for husbands and wives. As our marriages age, it’s tough to recreate those fun days of honeymooning. We’re so busy attending to the needs of our kids or jobs that we often fail to acknowledge each other when we collapse into bed at night. Woohoo.

This summer, I encourage you to invite your spouse out for dates in the grand outdoors—a little summer romance to draw you closer together. My husband and I will celebrate 37 years of marriage next month…here are some of our ideas for spending time together:

Make a list of day trips. Write down five places you’d like to travel before the end of the year—small towns, waterfalls, amusement parks, lakes, remote restaurants, scenic drives, etc. There are still quite a few local spots we haven’t seen and some we want to repeat. Set dates on your calendar to make them happen.

Eat the ice cream. Life is too short, and ice cream is too good. Make it a frequent part of your summer fun. At those mom-and-pop ice cream shops where they plop gargantuan scoops of ice cream on a cone, we’ve learned we can share the serving…twice the fun at half the calories. Try new flavors together!

Enjoy free music. Lots of symphonies and other bands offer free outdoor concerts during the summer months. Scope them out on local websites. Throw folding chairs and a lawn blanket in the back of your car so you’ll be ready for a spontaneous outing.

Plan a special picnic. Choose a state park with trails, look for a bike rental shop at rails-to-trails trailheads, or search for kayak rentals on a park lake. Then, carry along an out-of-the-ordinary picnic, maybe even a portable charcuterie meal for a backpack.*

Rules for the day? No heavy discussions or arguments. No over-planning. Even if you get lost somewhere, resolve to turn it into a good story later. Reserve this time simply for fun.

What does all this have to do with our Christian faith? Simply this—God uses strong marriages to better serve Him. Our spiritual walk with Christ suffers when we’re weary, distracted, irritable, and out of touch with each other. In a helter-skelter world that threatens to separate us, we need time together to relax, recharge our batteries, and remember why we married each other in the first place. 

Use these moments to build up your spouse. No criticism, only praise. No problem-solving, only fun. Believe it or not, laughter is a fundamental element for a happy, content marriage. Our chief purpose in life is to glorify God, but our second role is to enjoy Him forever. We honor Him and enjoy His presence when we lift up our spouses in prayer, commitment, and edification…when we bring joy to each other.

I pray you can get outside in summertime weather with your loved one. I hope you draw closer in the process. And, I promise you’ll relish new discoveries! Who knew peanut-butter-and-jelly ice cream could be so fabulous?

Heavenly Father, Creator of everything including my marriage, help me to enjoy Your beautiful earth with my beloved one. Give me a new appreciation of Your handiwork and the gift of my spouse. Help me choose to bring joy into our marriage and strengthen the ties that bind us together in faith. Shield us from the slings and arrows of Satan, and guard our hearts to love each other more. In Your great love, in Christ Jesus, Amen.

*See my blog for ideas on this… https://nancycwilliams.com/2020/08/03/the-privileged-life-trailside-charcuterie/

Nancy C. Williams is a Christian wife/mom with a writing career spanning more than 40 years in business and journalism. Williams is the author of the novel To Love a Falcon and the devotional book A Crocus in the Desert: Devotions, Stories, and Prayers for Women Experiencing Infertility. Her blogs are featured on Crossmap.com and AriseDaily. To follow Nancy’s posts and news, go to her home page at NancyCWilliams.com and subscribe at the bottom. 

© Copyright 2026 Nancy C. Williams (text and photography). Unless otherwise noted, Scripture verses are taken from the New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. #Jesus #marriage #datenight #daytrips #roadtrips #smalltownfun #icecream #honeymoon #charcuterie #amusementparks #stateparks #railstotrails #picnicideas #freeconcerts #outdoormusic