Turn Off The Screen And Ignite Marriage

Have you ever sat in the living room with your spouse, physically less than a yard away, but emotionally thousands of miles apart because you are both immersed in your phones? It is such a common scene that it hardly surprises us anymore, but it is one of the most silent and lethal thieves of marital intimacy. We live in an era where technology demands every second of our attention, forgetting that real connection requires us to be truly present.

When we are together but our minds are scrolling through a screen, we send an invisible yet devastating message to our spouse: 'whatever I am looking at on this social network or work email is more important than you.' This lack of mindfulness slowly destroys friendship, that space of complicity and play that sustains the relationship. It is impossible to build deep romance while competing with constant notifications.

Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend teach us that boundaries protect what we love. If we love our marriage, we must set boundaries on the outside world, and that includes halting our screens. Recreation and fun as a couple cannot survive in an environment of chronic distraction. We need to remember that mutual awe is born in eye contact, active listening, and digitally uninterrupted laughter.