Marriage is, from the beginning to the end, a romantic and sexual relationship of two covenant Lovers who have become one flesh. Don’t let anything or anyone make you believe differently.

The romantic life it offers is stunningly beautiful. And much more beautiful is the river of dazzling sexual life it daily invites you to swim in.

However, because Spouses have so many responsibilities that keep them busy, most of them forget to give attention to making their marriage the sizzling and rejuvenating love affair it should be.

Yes, you must go to the work place to generate the income needed to keep the family going: pay school fees, rents, and other bills. We must give attention to our parental responsibilities: do school runs, help with the kids’ homework and assignments, etc. We have church commitment that need our time and engagement.

Yet, we must give attention to ensuring that our marriage does not suffer neglect. We must see to it that it gets the maintainance and care it deserves. Why? Because it is similar to your physical body or your car and needs mantainance on a constant basis. In this regards, Spouses have so much to learn from the couple in the Song of Solomon who are in our anchor verse for today. And that’s where the important romantic concept of “Time Out”, which they practiced, comes in.

In our anchor scripture, the Man expressed the desire for them to get apart; that is, change environment and be alone in a new place, where they’d be able to attend to each other without distractions.

The truth is, as a couple, there’s a limit to the extent you can freely express your love and affection for each other when you are in your home where there are children and others; without appearing foolish and behaving inappropriately.

But when you go apart together to a new environment, your emotions and indeed, your entire being is renewed and ventilated; and you find yourselves in your original romantic elements once again.

For instance, if you’re the kind of wife that’s naturally inclined to expressing your enjoyment of sexual thrills by moans, words and loud expressions of your feelings, you may not be able to do this in your home for years because of the presence of your children and the possibility of their hearing your voice and knowing what you’re doing in the bedroom.

But when you go out on a love retreat in a new environment where you’re not known, you can let go! You can freely express yourself without inhibitions. Doing this isn’t just feeling free: it enriches your mutual love lives as a couple because it’s beneficial to your husband as well.

Marriage produces children and the family, yet the children and the family never become part of Marriage. Spouses must have the wisdom to get apart together for a time of “love renewal” in a clean, decent and secure hotel or motel from time to time.