The first that comes into mind when you hear the word cash or you hear someone making a statement with cash is money. But I am sorry to change that perception when it comes to relationships. In a relationship, when you hear the word CASH, it simply means, Care, Attention, Support and Honesty. These four things are the strong foundation for every relationship. If you want your marriage or relationship to stand the test of time, after you have moved from the honeymoon phase into the reality phase, then there must be care, attention, support and honey in that relationship.
Many marriages or relationships have failed because they lacked these four things in it, with these said, let us now take these four words one after the other and see the important role they play in our relationships.
Care
By definition, care is the process of protecting someone or something and providing what that person or thing needs. Caring about someone is more of an action, where you will essentially show them how you feel about them. It is also more than just telling someone you care about them. You may be aware of the saying, “Actions speak louder than words.”
This means that people will understand how you feel for them when you show them instead of just telling them. Another reason why showing someone you care is important is that you need others to help build up your support system. A support system is a group of people you trust, who can offer advice, a shoulder to cry on, or encouragement. When you show someone you care about them, they will know that they can count on you, and hopefully, this will go both ways.
You may be able to lean on each other when you need to. If you really care for someone or your partner, you will always make time out of your busy schedule for them, sending them sweet messages ones in during the day whiles you are busy at work. If you care for someone, you make sure you are there for them when they need you, through the thick and thin, their burden becomes yours and together you find solutions. In short, care is about action and not just words when it comes to relationships.
Attention
The interest or thought that you give to something you are listening to or watching or when you carefully listen to, look at, or think about someone or something. Loving relationships don’t just happen. They develop over time. Whether your relationship began as an out-of-the-blue, love-at-first-sight explosion or grew more slowly from a firm friendship, you need to give it your full attention if you want it to last.
To maintain and sustain a good relationship, you must intentionally pay attention to your partner. Your partner must be a priority in your life if you want the relationship to work out well. Your partner becomes your interest and focus, whatever that you are doing, they are to be part of the calculation. You focus on their needs both physically, spiritually and emotionally.
Just as you focus on that football match or that TV series on Netflix without distractions or even sometimes forgetting to eat until the match is over, you must do more for your partner if you really want the relationship to work. You must learn to avoid distractions like phones, friends, social media and any other thing that can take your attention from your partner especially when you are with him/her.
Support
There are soo many definitions for support, but I think these three will explain it better: to agree with and give encouragement to someone or something because you want him, her or it to succeed. Another definition; is to bear or hold up (a load, mass, structure, part, etc.); serve as a foundation for and the final one is to sustain or withstand (weight, pressure, strain, etc.) without giving way; serve as a prop for.
With all these said, let us take note that, you don’t go into a relationship and become a burden to your partner, you are in your partner’s life to add up or to support when necessary. And support is not about money, sometimes, your advice, your motivations, your presence, your gifts, and your time are all ways of showing support to your partner.
You must learn to support your partner emotionally, emotional support in a relationship is the ability to show understanding, compassion and love – no matter what. It means accepting your partner the way they are, validating their feelings and encouraging their dreams. Also, support them spiritually, learn to have time to pray with and for your partner, and also support them financially when need be. Don’t be a stinky partner.
Honesty
Honesty is defined as telling the truth or being able to be trusted and not likely to steal, cheat, or lie. By this definition, let me ask you this; are you an honest partner? Do you tell the truth at all times to your partner no matter how hard it is?
Are you trustworthy? Honesty is the quality of always speaking the truth and being totally authentic, straightforward, and transparent in our words and actions. It involves a few key practices: never lying, never hiding the truth, and never purposefully omitting or misdirecting people from the truth.
Honesty in a relationship means always telling your partner the truth and being totally open with them, both for the big things and the little things. If you’re avoiding talking to your partner about something—such as things that are bothering you in the relationship, something you did that you know your partner will be upset about, or how you really feel about the things you talk about together—then you aren’t being honest. Being honest means being your true self around your partner, never hiding who you are, what you think, or how you feel.
I hope with all these explanations, you now understand the acronym CASH in a relationship and the role they play. Let’s learn to care for our partners, let’s pay attention to their needs both physically, emotionally, spiritually and financially. Let us learn to support our partners and let’s learn to be honest with each other. For love to grow and remain, you can’t do away with these four strong pillars. May the good LORD help us all as we strive to build a safe peaceful home for our next generation.
Written by: © Benjamin Freshhope Mensah
