The Marriage Detox
By Janel Breitenstein
I tried a cleanse once. It involved a lot of weird capsules the size of a stalk of asparagus and not a whole lot else.
Through my extensive Google research, turns out there are a wide variety of cleanses, in fact. They involve everything from garcinia cabogia, bone broth, infrared saunas, custom juices, and all sorts of goodies to purge … well, whatever. With a chunk o’change, you could clean out everything from your liver to your acne.
But what if you could detox what matters and lasts?
More to the point—what could a marriage detox look like?
Nix the junk food.
- Maybe it’s time for a social media fast or from criticism and divisive thoughts (1 Peter 3:8).
- It could be time to finally seek help for that porn problem.
- Perhaps you need to burn the romance novels, or distance yourself from a friend who doesn’t encourage you in your marriage.
- You may need to relentlessly purge your home of possessions that fool you with false satisfaction, drawing you away from God and each other.
Snack on whole foods.
What would it look like to feed your marriage nutritiously and without contaminants, getting back to the basics?
- Could it involve reading the Word briefly together or praying together?
- Would it be beneficial to review what media you consume together?
- Is it time to surround yourselves with a supportive community, rather than living on a marital island?
Get some air.
The overwhelmed, overcommitted, exhausted version of the two of you—and your marriage—isn’t one where any marriage thrives or heals. It’s hard to clear the byproducts, so to speak, of irritability, resentment, and feeling used or unseen. What’s one thing you could stand to clear from your schedule?
Get off the couch.
It could be time for your family to burn some of its energy for purposes beyond itself. After all, as Proverbs teaches us, when we refresh others, we will be refreshed ourselves (Proverbs 11:25).
Read on for ways to avoid letting social media ruin your marriage.
The Good Stuff: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10)
Action Points: Get serious about detoxing your marriage. Pick one to three “cleansing” elements your marriage could really use.
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