One thing we have learned is that it is really fun to be super silly with each other. To laugh and to cause laughter. But most of all to choose joy when Satan is screaming the opposite. ••• Today is the day to dance in the kitchen. To go on a walk and call a … Continue reading Choose Joy Today
Category: Advice
Choose to Forgive
Because of the necessity to forgive one another in any relationship we have, we are going to spell out what forgiveness looks like. There are four steps that couples need to learn in order to forgive. They are essential elements in the developmental process of forgiveness. An authentic apology is the first step in the … Continue reading Choose to Forgive
Choose To Listen
Changing how you speak to each other, when you speak to each other, and where you speak to each other are important for building success in your marriage. Focusing on how you both feel rather than winning the argument and listening to your partner so that you truly understand what they want you to know … Continue reading Choose To Listen
Choose to Focus on the Process
As we discussed on Day One, conflict is not a bad thing. What is important is how we deal with it. One of the biggest myths about marriage is that fights “just happen”; that they are random, unpredictable events. Instead, I believe that people make a conscious, deliberate choice when they decide to turn a … Continue reading Choose to Focus on the Process
From Tell to Show
Have I told you lately that I love you? Have I told you there’s no one else above you? — Rod Stewart, “Have I Told You Lately” I have one question that—if asked every morning and lived out every day—could cause the most stagnant marriages to grow again. Let’s rearrange the song lyrics above and instead … Continue reading From Tell to Show
Trust Killers
Law enforcement is a profession with no room for error. This level of pressure faced by military members and first responders, professionals commonly referred to as sheepdogs, is one reason it is so important to stay laser-focused on your marriage and aware of potential dangers in the home. For example, when you are spiritually disobedient … Continue reading Trust Killers
Pride is a Thief
Our human nature wants to do what we want to do. Pride so easily sneaks in and does a number on our marriage. It’s self-centered. Self-focused. Self-preserving. It’s all about “I” and “me.” Pride keeps us from apologizing when we’re wrong. It builds walls, crushes kindness, and kills intimacy. Pride is a thief. It robs us of … Continue reading Pride is a Thief
Choose To Love
We get married because we fall in love. Many get divorced because they say they “fall out of love.” Because of this, we tend to think that love is a feeling. We don’t recognize it as a choice, a tool we desperately need to use when navigating our imperfect relationship. Love is a blend of … Continue reading Choose To Love
Perfection Infection
You are an imperfect human being. You are married to an imperfect human being. Two imperfect people who have to figure out money, make parenting decisions, be sexually intimate, take care of a home, make meals, do laundry, deal with car maintenance, and simply live in the same place, are destined to find all that … Continue reading Perfection Infection
Keeping Score
This verse comes in the middle of a lot of helpful advice for living, directly from Jesus. When I think about this verse in the context of marriage, I immediately think about the act of “keeping score.” Think about it: the goal of marriage is to remain lifelong partners. When you’re with someone almost every day, for … Continue reading Keeping Score