The Making of a Strong Marriage

by Aleta Kay

          He’s driving you crazy. He ALWAYS forgets your anniversary, is ALWAYS late for your daughter’s recital, and is ALWAYS late for your son’s ball games.  When he’s home you have to nag him to pick up after himself and he seems to prefer being at work to being home anyway. You’re just about at the end of your rope and you’re beginning to wonder if you wouldn’t be better off by yourself, just you and the kids.

          First of all, you must have loved him once. What happened? Did you change? Did he change? Did you get married without knowing what you were getting into? Many women have done exactly that same thing. And we all change over time. We grow. True love learns to adapt. Two lives have been joined together and produced children. Children deserve to have parents who love each other and know how to live in peace and harmony.

          Secondly, we are all sinners so it isn’t that there is one good person and one bad person in the marriage. There are two sinners who are focusing on the negative instead of the positive. Stop playing the negative messages in your head. Philippians 4:8 tells us to think on whatever things are true, honest, clean, lovely, and of good report. If there be any virtue or anything positive, think on these things. You can control your thoughts—2 Corinthians 10:5. You can allow God to establish your thought habits—Prov. 16:3.

          Finally, if you want a strong marriage, you’ll have to work at it. Take the word divorce out of your vocabulary. Purpose, determine, commit in your heart to treat your husband with respect and dignity. Treat him as if he is the best thing in the world. In so doing you will teach your children to respect both of you and you will be prepared to be a part of the bride of Christ when He returns (just a note here: the Bible says NO ONE, NOT EVEN JESUS HIMSELF, knows when that will be!). If you can’t treat your husband with respect you won’t be able to respect Christ either, because Ephesians 5:33 says the wife is to reverence her husband. Be in awe of his good qualities. Make a fuss over him. Praise him. Brag on him. He doesn’t have to deserve it; just do it. Over time you will see a change, but you will be honoring both him and God.  More on this subject tomorrow evening (I work late tomorrow.)