5 Tips for a Happy Marriage
“Marriage is all about finding what irritates your spouse and using it strategically…” -Unknown
Just kidding! Relationships and marriage are complicated…
I prayed for a man that would be my prince charming. Yes, I am in love with the idea of a knight in shining armor who would come in on his white horse and rescue me.
Stop laughing…We’ve all been there and ya know what?! That’s totally OK! Years ago I was in a terrible, I mean terrible relationship with someone who was a constant temptation to do what was unpleasing in the Lord’s eyes. I absolutely knew I was not living a godly lifestyle but I was scared to separate myself for fear of being alone.
Yes, I have a huge fear of being alone. It wasn’t until I hit rock bottom in that relationship and walked away with a broken soul that I knew I needed to first get right in my relationship with God.
After much recovery and soul searching God brought me a pretty amazing man! Okay, he’s sitting in the next room tending to our daughter who just had 4 baby teeth extracted because she got our crazy genes, and well, yup, life happens. He is an amazing man, servant hearted, give you the shoes off of his feet if you asked, be there at 2am if you called, and most of all loves his family and the Lord. But irony is I didn’t see him like that for a long time. Remember, I had a prince charming complex!
No matter how much my husband did for me or our relationship I always felt that it wasn’t done ‘right.’ I wanted him to bring me red roses at work to make me feel special, but instead he dropped off on my door step a handful of pumpkins because we didn’t get to go to the pumpkin patch. He’d walk my dog Scout and play with him but I wanted him to take me somewhere. Yes, I know, I know. Spoiled, selfish child! I get it!
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What I’ve learned over the last 13 years in our relationship are the following 5 things:
Love your significant other where they are, not who you want them to be!
God has given you this precious person so don’t take it for granted
Love holds no records of wrong, so S-T-O-P cataloging and bringing up past issues
Be grateful for what your significant other does and don’t have unrealistic expectations
The grass isn’t always greener on the other side, it’s green where you water!
Sisters, I share this with you because our marriage has taken years to get to a place of peace. Our strategy is simple seek and love God first so that He can guide our relationship. Yes, we have to put in the work and yes it takes work but friend the hard work produces beautiful results!