HELP FOR YOUR MARRIAGE
'Anyone who answers without listening is foolish.' Proverbs 18:13 NCV.
Someone said, 'Getting married is like buying something you have admired for ages in a shop window. You love it - but when you get it home, it doesn't always go with everything!' The Bible gives us three words that are essential to building a happy marriage: 'Live in...harmony' (Romans 15:5 NLT).
That means doing these three things:
(1) Keep an open mind.
The Bible says, 'Anyone who answers without listening is foolish and confused' (Proverbs 18:13 NCV). Don't form your response while your husband or wife is still talking. Listening is about connecting and acknowledging where the other person is coming from. 'Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out only for your own interests...take an interest in others' (Philippians 2:3-4 NLT).
(2) Learn to laugh at yourself.
'A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, But by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken' (Proverbs 15:13 NKJV). When you're experiencing money, family or health issues, humour can ease the tension and help restore your perspective.
(3) Eliminate the 'D' word from your vocabulary.
Although God (Moses) permits divorce under certain circumstances, it's never His ideal (Mal.3: 13-16; Matt. 5:27-32; 19:3-12; Rom. 7:1-3; Eph. 5:17-6:9; 1Pet. 3:1-7). A couple who worked through their marriage troubles said, 'We're glad we didn't give up during the difficult years. We hung in long enough to realise that it really can get better with time.'
When you both commit to making your marriage work and strive for living in harmony in your relationship, your marriage is much more likely to be a good one.
Facts
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