There is nothing like fast food. You pull up to an intercom, generally surrounded by pictures of food that look greasy good. You order your meal, supersize it if you can, and within minutes you are indulging. As you eat, your belly fills up, while you secretly sacrifice nutrition for convenience. The other side of this problem is humorously filled with a similar outcome. I have been on many diets in my life and almost all of them sacrifice nutrition for convenience, pre-packaged meal over cooking with fresh ingredients.

The same is true of marriage; when convenience becomes the goal, the end result is going to be ill-health. You can be overweight or underweight, or just the right weight. However, if we make convenience our goal, a full stomach or flat abs, our time with our mates or our conversation with our wife, then we will ultimately sacrifice future health and fulfilling intimacy.  

Say NO to the drive-up window, and the drive-by once-in-a-while relationships. Go deep, get out the china, pull out the Le Creuset cookware and make a real marriage meal together, linger, and eat it together. Here are five convenient marriage food busters.

1.    Don’t ever let your marriage just happen—PLAN. Plan acts of romance, times of conversation, intimacy and feats of kindness. Don’t just let it happen—be a planner. Your best meals are planned; your best moments in marriage are going to be strategically planned.

2.    SHOP—don’t make a habit of eating leftovers. Get creative, go looking. Make things as fresh as you can by listening to your mate and then doing things for them you have never done before. Let them know they still turn your crank and they are worth thinking about.

3.    Don’t forget a good glass of WINE. This is not about what we drink, but about bringing good wonderful joy into each other’s lives. If you are going to have a great relationship, you are going to need to laugh together — a lot. Find things you find funny, joyful and things that bring cheer to your heart. Learn to praise everything you can; possess little that you murmur about.

4.    TALK—make sure your meal is full of conversation. You don’t need to discuss problems, children or difficulties. Talk about what is on each other’s heart, what you are enjoying, hoping for, looking forward to.
 
5.    DESSERT—I would suggest raisin-cakes.

Don’t take the convenient road with your mate. Cook up a great wholesome romance!