1-4-3
By Lisa Lakey
I love you.
There. I said it. Well, typed it. Back in the early texting days, I would send my future husband a quick 1-4-3. Because you had to hit each button so many times to get to the correct letter, 143 became code for “I love you” based on the number of letters in each word.
Cheesy, right?
But one thing technology hasn’t changed is the need to hear “I love you.” It’s amazing what that simple phrase can convey depending on the context.
Early in the relationship, it’s a promise. I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you.
When trials come in a marriage, it’s a beacon of light. This is hard. But I love you and we’ll get through this together.
When marriage is really tough, it’s an extra inch when we’re at the end of our rope. I love you. Hold on a little longer.
And your spouse will never stop needing to hear it. Every time you say it to your spouse you’re saying, “I choose you.”
I choose to spend the rest of my life with you, I choose to get through the trials with you, and I will choose to hold on a little longer, even when the weight of life threatens to pull us apart.
Why? Because “love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends” (1 Corinthians 13:7-8).
So never stop saying “I love you.” Or if you’re really feeling nostalgic, send ‘em a quick 143.
Do these three simple words feel forced? Find some ideas to refresh your marriage.
The Good Stuff: So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13)
Action Points: Take the “love challenge” for one week. Make a list of creative ways you can tell your spouse “I love you,” and spread it out through the next seven days. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Say it in another language.
- Slip a note in their purse or wallet.
- Write it on a cake.
- Sneak a tiny note into a fortune cookie.
- Have the kids hold up signs declaring your love and text your spouse a picture.
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