Marriage is a beautiful thing. Created as a union between a man and a woman, Adam and Eve were wed in the Garden of Eden. This is the point where people stop paying attention to the story because that is how they picture their marriage will be one day. Endless bliss, in paradise with your soulmate, walking on the beach watching the sunset without a care in the world, and being able to make love to the love of your life under the moonlight to the sound of the waves crashing. Unfortunately, when people fantasize about being married, they don't tend to include all that comes with it. The highs and the lows, the disagreements on life and parenting, in laws, laundry, money, time, dinner, sex, stinky drawls and socks left on the ground, watching your spouse grieve from losing loved one, etc., etc.
Marriage is so much more than just a fantasy. While it is possible to be in paradise with your soulmate at times, it's not always a walk in the park. Life happens in between, real life situations that will take you from what seems like a waterfront suite overlooking the waves to a tent without an air mattress during a winter storm at the bottom of Death Valley. Yeah, sounds brutal huh! Unfortunately, people walk into marriage with the wrong mindset, focusing on the wedding day itself instead of the realities of LIFE that you vow to share and work through with your spouse.
Things are going to pop up, but what ultimately matters is how you chose to deal with them. Marriage is not 50:50, it's 100:100. In my opinion, each spouse needs to put their mates needs above their own. If you keep eachothers needs met, it really does make life that much easier. Teamwork makes the dream work right?!?! But that doesn't mean ignore your feelings, emotions, needs, wants. No! It means communicate what it is you desire so your spouse can at least try to meet them.
Some things only pop up once or twice, but there are a couple of things that require regular work. So, somethings to help you to face and overcome these disagreements are to:
1. Pray (together and alone)
2. Communicate
3. Forgive
4. Laugh
5. Date (eachother)
6. Set reasonable goals, and accomplish them
7. Respect him, love her (1 Corinthians 7)
8. Budget finances and save $
9. Communicate, again
10. Did I mention communicate
11. Encourage eachother
I can go on and on, but just know that marriage has it's ups and downs. Plain and simple, it takes work! It's no fairytale, but it's like a car. It will work amazingly if you committ to keeping up with the routine maintenance that it requires. Your contract for this "car" is the vow you make while on the alter; I, ___, take you, ___, for my lawful wife/husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do us part." "I, ___, take you, ___, to be my husband/wife.
