Marriage

One person is sucked under the current of loss while the other rides the top of the wave for the moment, and you must learn to rejoice together when one partner holds onto to God’s joy, grace, and strength and have mercy, patience, and compassion while the other gasps for air under the waves of grief.

You have eighteen years with your children, and then they grow up to have their own lives. But when you got married, you vowed to be with your spouse "till death do you part." You'll be with your spouse much longer than you'll have your children in your home. Set a good example of what a healthy marriage will look like by putting each other's opinions first, even if there are moments when you don't agree with your parenting strategy or the other's perspective on life.

The fall is here (well, almost), which means cuddling up and getting cozy with the ones you love! This is also your reminder to pack in some fun dates with your precious spouse and spark those flames of romance. Did you know it’s actually proven that dates with your significant other improve the life of your marriage?

Though every marriage experiences conflict, our disagreements and irritations tend to increase during times of stress and uncertainty. Not only do we feel the strain of our circumstances, such as financial or health concerns, or perhaps even job loss, but all those external pressures exacerbate any relational cracks already formed and perhaps ignored. But that’s one reason difficult situations provide such hope. They can alert us to problems we might not have seen otherwise.Every conflict, when handled well, paves the way for increased relational health and intimacy.Here are 5 steps toward resolving conflict in a way that will strengthen our marriages and deepen our trust.

In our 23 years of marriage, my husband and I have had many opportunities to celebrate. We’ve also had many opportunities to walk with one another through grief.We’ve grieved over the death of loved ones, the loss of jobs, unwanted medical diagnoses, the effects of our own sin, and the effects of others' sin. The list could keep going.Helping your spouse grieve is a privilege because it’s an opportunity to love, support, comfort, and rely on the Lord in a very specific way.But I would also say, helping your spouse grieve is a burden of love, because grief is hard, it’s exhausting, it takes time, and can change a person forever. I personally haven’t always grieved well or in a way that glorified my Heavenly Father, but lessons have been learned and I hope I can share a bit of that insight with you.Here are 10 ways to help your spouse grieve.Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Motortion

Ladies, we need to recognize the power we hold in helping create our husbands to be Godly men. Where God equips our men with outer strength, God equips us with an inner strength that shows poise, integrity, and diligence, among many other beautiful qualities.

Do you sometimes find it hard to be honest with God regarding the fertility problems you face? I know that I do at times. Perhaps sometimes it just feels easier to give God my best spiritual performance by telling him what I think he wants to hear instead. Perhaps a part of me still thinks my healing is based on my goodness or how well I weather the challenge.

I’ll never forget the day I was cleaning through my top dresser drawer and found a treasure.I almost threw out the stack of aged, yellowed papers, weathered by time and slightly torn on the edges. When I unfolded the papers and read through them, I instantly realized why I’d kept them all those years. They were love letters from my husband written nearly 30 years ago, and they contained phrases such as “I love you beyond expression” and “You complete me like no other.”As I read those words, my eyes teared up. And then my heart dropped. I haven’t had a letter like this from him in years.How I would have liked to believe that I hadn’t changed a bit through the years and that he was the one who grew distant and less interested over time. I felt convicted, though, to put that magnifying glass up to myself and ask if I was still the same woman to whom he wrote those letters. Suddenly I wished I could turn back the clock and have that man I married see me the way he once did – as the captivating woman he fell in love with. And then I realized if that was to happen I had to become the woman I once was – as a young bride – and treat him like I once did.I went to a portion of Scripture that describes young, exciting love and from the “Shulamite bride” in Song of Songs, discovered ten ways that I could act like a new bride again and recapture my husband’s heart. And you know what happened? As I started talking to him and treating him the way I once did, it wasn’t long before he became the man I once married.See if these ten ways to recapture his heart don’t transform your marriage, too.

Do you remember what it was like to really enjoy one another’s company? Chances are when you and your spouse fell in love, you did everything together, couldn’t stand to be apart, and your fun times outweighed the stressful times.Yet it’s only a matter of time before reality sets in and the familiar replaces the fun, the routine replaces spontaneity, and your financial or vocational concerns replace your ability to throw caution to the wind and enjoy being together.For years, my husband and I were two people who, in some ways, walked alone in our marriage. We never intended for it to be that way. We lived in the same house, shared the same bank account, slept in the same bed, spent nearly every Friday of our married life together on a “date day.” We even raised a daughter, although I wouldn’t necessarily say we were good at raising her “together.” He did his part. I did mine. And that’s the way it was.Both of us had no idea how to give up our own ambitions, expectations, and conveniences in order to really walk together. But once we started incorporating some really simple activities that we wish we’d done years ago, it profoundly affected our marriage. Here are five activities that will strengthen your marriage and sense of togetherness:

Surrounding ourselves with women committed to fighting the good fight of faith for their own marriages is vital to our preserving our own marriages.

The Apostle Peter wrote husbands must give honor to their wives. They should treat them with understanding.

God’s goal is that romantic love, with all its potential pain and degradation, should be an arena of enjoyment for his redeemed people.

However, as believers, we are gifted with the Bible from God which teaches us and instructs us as women in every area of life, including marriage. Today we will study what does the Bible say about being a wife?

In other words, forgiveness in marriage is more than a practical strategy to maintain peace; it is a reflection of the Christian duty to forgive as we have been forgiven by God.

If you become obsessed with your longing to feel loved, you will become more preoccupied with self-satisfaction than with building a happy relationship.

Biblical marriage is a beautiful representation of the marriage of Christ to his Church. “My soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest” (Isaiah 61:10).Revelation 19:7 echoes this Old Testament verse with its joyous tone: “Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready.”Christian churches typically encourage a man and a woman not to live together before they get married, and not to forgo the ceremony. A wedding doesn’t have to be expensive, but declaring vows in front of other people provides accountability to everyone.Husband and wife are now accountable to each other and to the Body of Christ. If one party openly engages in sins and a member of the church witnesses the activity, that member has the responsibility of declaring the truth and leading this person back to the cross.My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins (James 5:19-20).Married couples can also become mentors to younger brides and grooms. Their relationship is designed to be an expression of the relationship between a person and his or her Savior, one in which there is grace, forgiveness, mercy, gentleness, loyalty, humility, generosity, trustworthiness, and so on.Marriage is a great friendship, and the Bible has a lot to say about it, but much of what is written is taken out of context or overlooked in the modern world, leading to the proliferation of damaging lies. Here are five myths about biblical marriage.Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Anchiy

Are there some classics that you love to watch this time of year? Plan a night to veg out together, maybe even snuggle up on the couch together, and enjoy a classic with your spouse. Pair the movie with some candied popcorn or hot chocolate, and you have a perfect night on your hands.

Moreover, praying together as a couple deepens emotional intimacy by inviting God into the marriage.

Let your husband know, especially when he feels he’s blown it, that you still need him, and you’d still choose him if you had to do it all over again. It’s another way to encourage him and show God’s unconditional love toward him when he needs it most.

Affirming your wife through words breathes life into her and your marriage.