It is extremely common to hear that people have more debt than they can keep up with, that they live on credit and paycheck to paycheck. In the initial panic of COVID-19 the fear wasn’t just of the virus, it was the inability to work and maintain a paycheck. Why??? Because when you live paycheck to paycheck, you likely don’t have a rainy-day fund and believe it would be impossible to ever save for one. What if I told you that was a lie, and in fact, you could create savings and grow your rainy-day fund. All it takes is a little discipline and time.

Now, let’s say you believe my truth and you start by analyzing your spending and cutting out the unnecessary expenses, even the tiniest ones. Next, you start a new account with an automatic deposit of just $25 a month, then after a couple of months you realize you never missed that $25 so you double it, and so forth and so on. Over time you begin to amass a rainy-day fund. With discipline, patience and time it is possible.

What if you used the same approach in your marriage? Instead of cutting expenses, you’re cutting noise and wasted time. Instead of an auto savings, you regularly serve your spouse and/or make time for a date night.  You learn to become intentional with the time you have and how you use it. Over time, with discipline and patience, there is a chance you might find your relationship growing.

If you have ever read the book ‘Fireproof’ written by Eric Wilson or watched the movie, you saw that the initial behavior or response change can be misunderstood. Changing our budgeting habits doesn’t happen overnight and they don’t always go as planned, but with time and consistency changes can begin to manifest. The same can be true for your marriage if you and your spouse are both willing.

If you are like many that are going stir crazy in our COVID-19 social distancing era, a good use of time could be using this opportunity to work on your marriage. All the ‘noise’ of life and busyness has been forcibly removed for you. Take the time to analyze what areas you have found could be carved out after we get back to normal, and how that time can be intentionally used to serve each other.

The key is staying focused on what you can control, that is you and your response only. Marriage takes work and both spouses willingness to give 100%, not just 50/50. Life may throw you a pandemic, and stop life as you know it, but what you choose to do with it is up to you.