While there are many keys to a successful marriage, some of the most successful couples share common practices. Out of the 5 best marriage advice every young couple needs to know, Communication and prayer, respect, and maintaining intimacy are what sets these relationships a part.
Communication and Prayer
Pastor Jimmy Evans states in his new book The Four Laws of Love, “For communication to occur as it should in marriage, we should let our spouses know that we accept and celebrate their differences. If we reject them or simply tolerate their differences, it damages the unity and teamwork that is so crucial to a marriage relationship.”
I’m sure you have all heard the statistic that 1 in 2 marriages end in divorce. Did you know that a recent study from the Gallup poll stated that 1 in 1,153 marriages end in divorce if the couple are Christians and pray together daily? It’s hard to fight with someone you pray with regularly (Groeschel). Here’s the thing: “you can be like everyone else. Do what everybody else does. Don’t pray together. And your chances of making it will be 50/50. Or be different. Pray together regularly and increase your chances of making it 99% (Groeschel)!
Respect Each Other and Build Trust
This comes down to understanding our spouses’ needs vs. our spouses’ wants. Men’s deepest marital need is honor and respect. The tone of something is just as important to a man as what is being said (Evans). On the other hand, one of the wife’s most important needs in a marriage is open and honest communication and that requires trust (Evans).
“The equation is this: the more you gain my trust, the wider the door of my heart opens; the more you violate my trust, the more the door closes” (Evans). Trust is very fragile so we must be very sensitive to protect what is there. It’s true that “Trust is earned in drops and lost in buckets.”
Maintain Intimacy
Marital intimacy is just not physical. In fact, it’s four-dimensional: spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical (Evans). Imagine how hard it must be to divorce someone you’re genuinely seeking God with! Emotional intimacy means couples are free to share their feelings with each other without anything to hold them back. Mental intimacy means that couples share their thoughts regularly and honestly, to think about each other, and focus on their spouse. Finally, physical intimacy isn’t just about sex, but also nonsexual affection for both man and woman.
I hope these nuggets of wisdom will be a treasure in your marriage. Comment below on which one made the most impact on you. See you on the next blog!
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I was blessed by your godly wisdom and insight! Marriage was God’s idea. Everything He made was good!
I love this post! I see a common theme of communication and putting your feelings aside to focus on the bigger picture which is the marriage and not your own feelings in the moment. Truly inspirational advice that I will keep in mind for my upcoming marriage.
Thanks for reading Christina! Congratulations and blessings on your upcoming marriage.