Ten Ways to Strengthen the Walls of Your Marriage

With so much marriage talk these days, I thought it might be a good idea to give ten ways you can strengthen the walls of your marriage.

For starters and against what seems to be popular belief, marriage was instituted by God, not by government.  It was created as a covenant between one man and one woman for life.  For those who might have a differing opinion, I would invite them to read Genesis 2:15-25, then take it up with Him.

In our marriages today, there are so many things that can distract, complicate, interfere and even separate two who have committed their lives to one another.  So I've created a list of ten things to help shore up and strengthen the walls around your union.  Here it goes...drum roll please.

1.Wall building (Marriage) takes work and time.  Stay at it! - We give up way too easy these days.  Just understand going in that it's going to take hard work and time to make it a long-lasting, great relationship.

2.You can’t fix your spouse, you can only fix you. - Don't try to change your spouse.  It can't be done.  Continually work on yourself.  You are the one that you can fix.  So get to it.

3.“You get what you give. When you give better, you get better.” – Dr. Phil - Fantastic statement.  What you put into anything is what you get out of it.  Give 100% to your marriage, and the return will be ginormous.

4.Agree from the start that divorce will NOT be an option. - Don't even entertain the thought.  Resolve from the moment you commit, that you will never bring this option to the table.  Think positively, live positively.

5.Intimacy in marriage is vital, but don’t expect it if you are not displaying love outside of the bedroom. - Often, we just expect our spouse to love us and show us love even though we are not loving ourselves.  Wrong.  If you don't give it, you won't get it.

6.Get unrealistic ideas out of your head.  There’s no such thing as a perfect marriage, because there are no perfect people. - Don't fool yourself into thinking someone elses marriage is perfect, or that you would have the perfect marriage if you just had _____________.  There are no perfect marriages though there are great marriages.  There are no perfect people though there are wonderful people.  

7.Never stop dating. - VITAL.  If you do not water the plant, the plant will die.  Same for your relationship.  You must continue to date your spouse if you want a healthy marriage.

8.Always have your spouse’s back.  Always. - Build them up, cheer them on and defend them when necessary.  So important.

9.“Love is a four-letter word spelled G-I-V-E”  - Always put your spouse’s needs, feelings, thoughts above your own.

10.Learn respect. “You can have respect without love,” said Tom, married 42 years, “but you can’t have love without respect.”- Respect is often lacking, but we still expect the love.  Again, if you don't give the respect, there will be no love.  If you don't love, there will be no respect.  It's a never ending circle.

Hope these tips help strengthen your God-ordained marriage. Stand strong, stand together and love well. There's nothing better!

Blessings,
Kristi