Resources/Articles
The "Muscle" of Your Marriage
The strength of a marriage does not come in the size muscles a husband has, the cost of the house or car you possess, or the stamina of a wife to work outside the home and be a homemaker.
The strength of your marriage is based upon your spiritual connection with God. What keeps your marriage committed and enduring is simple obedience to the One with whom you have the most important relationship of all - GOD.
If your children walked into your room, would they find you praying, studying, or talking together about your faith? It is important to know “Except the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain” (Psalm 127:1). Looking at your marriage as a triangle with God at the apex and you and your spouse working toward being what He desires, that is the “muscle” of your marriage.
One mother said to her son, “Only with Christ at the center of our marriage, at the center of our home, at the center of everything we do, can we experience the greatest joy and fulfillment possible.” If your marriage is not focused on spirituality right now, then you have allowed your marriage to become less than what God wants it to be. Without this foundation, your marriage is subject to a “great fall” like the man who built his house on the sand (Matthew 7:24-27).
While pondering over the thoughts above, use the following as a good “workout” to building power into your marriage:
- Do not keep secrets from each other. Communicate about everything.
- Disagree less. Cuddle more.
- Do not go deep in debt. If you are already there, work together to get out of it!
- Turn off every electronic device and talk with each other.
- Leave each other with a kiss no matter how far away you go or how long you are gone - ALWAYS.
- Do not ignore problems in your relationship. Deal with them quickly, respectfully, and objectively.
- Be quick to remember each other’s positive traits and quick to forget each other’s flaws.
- Forgive and seek forgiveness when you have wronged each other.
- Only compare your lives to the image of Jesus Christ.
- Give compliments constantly. Leave the insults for the politicians.
- When you are happy, laugh together. When you are sad, cry together. WHATEVER you do, do it together!
- Never ever give up on each other! God hasn’t. Why should you?
- Read Colossians 3:12-14 aloud and allow it to have a dramatic effect on the way you treat your spouse.
