“Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyard, for they are in full blossom.” (Song of Solomon 2:15)

“Foxes” were little pest in the ancient world that spoiled vineyards by eating all the grapes. These foxes were small and hard to catch, yet if ignored they would kill the vineyard.

In the epic love story known as The Song of Solomon, Solomon’s bride pleads with him to catch the foxes before they spoiled their vineyard of love. These “foxes” are those things that might harm their relationship, rather than promote it.

Husband, your wife is asking you to go fox hunting, and here are 9 foxes you need to shoot.

• Busyness – If your calendar is filled with everything but your wife, you need to start deleting some current things and start saying no to some future things. Your wife needs your time. Period.

• Work – Your wife needs you to work hard for her, but not try to save her through your work. Stop justifying all your overtime and extra jobs as your way of giving her the life she’s always dreamed, when that life doesn’t currently have you in it.

• Hobbies – I’m pretty sure Paul would just quote a Bible verse like “put away childish things” or something, but I’m not that blunt so I’ll just give you this advice. If your hobby steals life from your marriage rather than gives life to your marriage, kill the hobby. A hobby should be something that recharges your batteries, without draining her’s in the process. So if your hobby is a constant source of drama, stop it or find a way to include her in it.

• Entertainment – If all of your husband-wife quality time is spend around a screen watching other people live life, set time to turn off the screens and start looking at each other instead. If this sounds boring, maybe try going to bed before you’re actually tired and remind each other what God intended married folks to do after the kids go to bed.

• Kids (speaking of) – Please don’t shoot your kids, but do catch them before they slowly eat away your marriage; and start by getting those little foxes out of your bed! Next, make sure they know you love their momma more than them, and make them stop interrupting every time you try to talk to her. Remember one day they will leave your house, but hopefully she will stay.

• Buddies – Wife before bro’s. Period.

• Sports – The truth is you’re not wearing a real jersey anymore, and your team is not really counting on you. Follow and enjoy your team a little, but follow and enjoy your wife a lot!

• Apathy – Remember how romantic you use to be while trying to get your now wife to marry you? Well guess what Romeo, she didn’t expect that to stop after the wedding cake was eaten. So go kill the fox of apathy (or laziness) and start dating your wife again. After all, those dates should end a lot more fun than they use to.

• Words – Does your wife hear from you that she is the greatest wife on the planet (and not because of her performance, but because she is your wife)? Harsh words, or no words can be little foxes that destroy your wife. Your words will either give life or take it away, so shoot the bad words and speak good ones, and see her thrive under the difference.

Husband, your wife is asking you to go hunting. So be a man and go get the gun.