Marriage Monday

I put this on my blog two years ago.  And since today is Marriage Monday, I thought I would repost it.  

Happy reading!

Ten Secrets To A Happy Marriage (as written by Karen Kingsbury)

1. God has us here to serve one another. Love acted out is serving.

2. Women need respect and nurturing. Love your wife so she knows you'd lay your life down for her. Continue to date and admire her. Share a hobby~find something you can do to have fun together.

3. Laugh often.

4. Be patient. Love crumbles quickly under the weight of unmet expectations.

5. Spend more time trying to fix yourself than your spouse.

6. Keep short accounts. The Bible says, "Do not let the sun go down while you are angry." Make it a habit to forgive.

7. Determine up front that divorce is not an option.

8. Learn about love languages. Not all people show love or receive it the same way. You want a back rub and your wife wants a clean kitchen. The love languages are fairly simple: acts of service, time, physical touch, gifts and words of affirmation. Learn them. Love is better received when it's in the language the person speaks. (The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman)

9. Words of affirmation are a love language for all men. Use them often!!

10. Men are born to be leaders. He cannot lead unless she gives him the confidence to do so. If you love your husband, build him up. Confident men do not seek love outside the home.

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One thing our Pastor said last Sunday {Valentine's day} was that God needs to be kept at the center of the marriage.  Without Him at the core, all else falls short.  No one can make us happy all the time, and if we're expecting our mates to do that~then it's not fair to them or to you.  Only God can complete you, contrary to what Tom Cruise said in the movie Jerry McGuire.

Another thing Pastor said was that if more married couples spent time in courtship, then less marriages would spend time in court. 

I encourage you to read the 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman if you haven't ever.  Find out what ways your mate needs to be loved and then get to work!  

I also encourage you to say one encouraging thing to your mate every single day.  Even if you have to work at doing this, find something to be thankful for.  The more you do this, the more of a habit it becomes, making it easier each time.

Love to all.  I hope this is in some way helpful.