Marriage

There is so much joy to be shared together over the holiday season. Creating a home full of tradition and love is one of the great privileges of becoming man and wife.

What does biblical submission mean in the context of our daily lives, as we wrestle with the inevitable rub of relationship

Proverbs 18:22 says, He who finds a wife finds a good thing, And obtains favor from the Lord (NKJV). Lets celebrate 3 reasons why when a man finds a wife, he finds a good thing!

When we first get married, we’re all about treating our spouse special. But time, familiarity, competing priorities, and just plain selfishness can cause us to ease off of those kind gestures and settle into a status quo.Don’t let it happen in your marriage. When you continue to make your husband feel special you are keeping the fires burning, and keeping your love alive.He can continue to seek his affirmation through his job and personal achievements, but he really wants to hear from you (and observe from your actions) what you think of him. So here are 8 ways to make your husband feel special.Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/fizkes

It may not make sense. The situation may seem impossible. The odds may be stacked against you. Trust God.

Married life can sometimes sound like a drag. We have heard the term “the old ball and chain” or seen the sitcoms that portray the middle years of marriage in a less-than-glamorous light. Others of us have seen people we look up to bail on their marriages for a variety of reasons that have led us to abandon the institution altogether for fear we may find yourself heartbroken in the future.Marriage is not an easy commitment to keep. A lifetime together means a commitment to forgive, grow, and change as life brings new challenges and joys. Beyond that, we can’t control the actions of others and sometimes people you love do things that are hurtful. Unfortunately, no relationship comes with guarantees, but even with all the challenges married life brings, the potential for joy outnumbers them when you lean in and make a love-filled home happen.The world may think that there are no benefits if you're already living together, but God's plan for marriage was put in place so you can be better cared for. God loves you and he came up with the idea for marriage because He knows that two are better than one.More than that, to remain unified as a couple, commitment is required! Marriage is the place where we enter into a covenant that signifies our loyal allegiance to one another through all the season life brings. It’s a very important step in building a love that lasts the test of time.Let’s explore the many beautiful benefits of married life.

Remember, the Lord is a Giver – He’s the Giver of life, love, and limitless grace. That means, as His daughters, we are to be receivers of His abundant life, eternal love, and endless grace.

Now that I’ve experienced more than 30 years of handling missed holidays, I’ve come to understand that offering grace is far better than harboring anger.

This holiday, be proactive and plan ahead to keep the spark going during the cozy season—and I don’t mean the one in the fireplace!

So let us all — women, as well as men — strive to be like the wife of noble character described in Proverbs 31. Let us all work to be selfless, hardworking, compassionate, virtuous, strong, and kind.

It helps to study your partner and note their weaknesses so that you are not too gutted when they fall short. As their companion, you could also help them work on their weaknesses instead of judging them and taking offense. Remember that forgiveness is a daily component of a healthy marriage—rise above obsessing over your spouse's weaknesses and learn to bear with them in love.

Christmas can create undue stress as we strive to find the perfect gift for our mate. But it doesn't have to be stressful. With a little creativity and a better understanding of who our spouse really is, we can get gifts they will appreciate for a lifetime and gifts that will help better their lives, learn a new skill, and make them better people as a result.

I have an advanced degree in counseling and hundreds of hours experience working with couples. I’ve taught marriage retreats for years. I wouldn’t say I’m an “expert” in marriage—because I’m married—and my wife reads my blog. That would be a stretch. Actually, I know more to do than I have the practice of doing. (Isn’t that true for most of us?)But I’ve learned a few things. I’ve observed things that work and things that don’t.I think there are some necessary ingredients for a healthy marriage. That’s the point of this post.Want a healthier marriage?Consider these 7 Commandments of Marriage:

Words are singularly the most powerful force accessible to humanity. We have the choice to use this power to build someone up with encouragement or destroy a person with one destructive word. We’ve been reminded ever since we could talk to: Be careful with your words, once they are said, they can only be forgiven, not forgotten.Proverbs 18:21 reminds us: "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits." As a writer, I’m well aware of how my careless words have pierced my husband’s heart. In fact, the first time I tore my husband down was a moment I’ll never forget. Chris had promised once I finished college we would move from the middle of Nebraska to Florida.As a woman whose soul is tempered by any body of water, I had big dreams to live by the ocean. When the time came Chris had already established a solid career in the agricultural field and Florida didn’t exactly fit into his career path.One evening we hashed it out and he said no. Frustrated and filled with sarcasm I said, “Fine, I’ll move down there without you and if you don’t follow, then we can just get a divorce.”I never saw a man fall as quickly as he did. I didn’t mean it one bit. I didn’t realize how effortlessly I obliterated my husband’s confidence, purpose, and self-respect in one simple, off-handed comment.In the book Love as A Way of Lifeby Gary Chapman, he uses a vivid metaphor for words as being either ‘bullets or seeds’. If we use our words as bullets, we lose the ability to restore a relationship but if we use our words as seeds, we can rebuild a relationship. Words have power to help, to hinder, to heal, to hurt, to humiliate, or to humble.Words can inspire and words can destroy your man. Choose yours well. As one vital rule, the word divorce should never be mentioned in a marriage. Now that we have that established, here are five phrases never to be uttered at all costs.

What fears or societal changes might be getting in the way of marriage, and what are those of us desiring to marry at some point supposed to do about it? Here are four of the biggest fears about marriage (and how to overcome them).