For us, one of the most difficult parts of having young children was getting out on a date! We yearned to spend more quality time together, but the trouble of finding a sitter was an obstacle. Even when we managed to find one, the expense could be prohibitive.

Now that our kids are old enough to stay home alone, it’s amazing how other kinds of difficulties have arisen. But we try not to forget the trials of parents with younger kids! In this fifth week of the month, we’re focusing on Level 5, Hospitality & Service, and the memory of those days reminded us of an easy service activity that the whole family can get behind—sponsor a date night by offering to watch your friends’ kids (along with your own)!

The benefits you can bring to your friends and family are obvious, but here goes:

➤ Date nights are integral to a vibrant marriage. Your simple act of service will help your friends be better spouses and parents. You’re allowing them a rare moment to go “upstream” from the crush of daily family needs, be present to one another, and deepen their communion.

➤ Hiring a babysitter is costly and time-consuming. Your offer reduces the huge amount of friction that keeps so many couples from the joy of date night.

➤ By sponsoring date night, you are making a big deposit in friendship. In a time of loneliness, overwhelm, and anxiety, your investment of 2 or 3 hours will be a win-win for your friendship.

How to go about sponsoring date night? There’s no need to complexify it. Based on our experience, here are a few key ingredients:

➤ Be specific and succinct. Text the couple and provide 2 or 3 specific days and times you can come over or host the kids in your own home! This allows them to check their schedule and simply confirm, instead of having lots of back-and-forth.

➤ Bring your own kids and make it a playdate. Depending on your situation and the couple you’re assisting, consider making it a fun time for the kids by bringing them together.

➤ If you want to go above and beyond, offer to make the meal for their kids or even bring it with you. They might turn you down, but your offer will be an extra gift.  

Now let’s lift our heads above the daily chaos of our Trinity Houses and imagine this moment. It’s many years from now and you’re an empty-nester. Decades of constant churn and forming future saints is behind you. You’re looking back on it all. Do you see times in those years when you embraced Hospitality & Service—“sharing your family’s taste of heaven with others”—by giving tangible service to those in need outside your family?

May our answer be yes! Sometime in the next few months, let’s step outside our own busyness to sponsor a date for one couple. God cannot be outdone in generosity so there’s no doubt we’ll all be better off for it!