Catching Bids

Once in a small group Bible study we read a book about marriage called Cherish by Gary Thomas. One of the concepts in the book he calls catching bids. A bid is anytime your spouse makes an attempt to connect with you. He said that catching bids is one of the best predictors of a healthy marriage. Strong marriages usually catch around 80% of the bids while marriages heading for divorce are closer to 20-30%. 

A bid could be they start a conversation, try to give you a hug/kiss, ask you to do something with them, or initiate intimacy. The goal is to catch whatever bids your spouse throws to you.

The reason this is so important is because of honor. If you truly honor and cherish your spouse you will catch their bids even when it is not convenient for you. 

One of the examples given in the book was a husband who was working on a major project worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. His wife entered the room and started a conversation that he had no interest in. He had a big choice in this moment. Honor his wife or work on the project. He chose to stop his work and listen to his wife.