1. We are the experts. When it comes to our marriage, Zeke and I are the experts. Experts pay attention to trends.They know strengths and weaknesses. We look to God and the Bible to guide us as we grow. We look to God and His word for sound advice.
2. Our role models are people we know. Our parents are our role models. We grew up in homes where God, marriage, and family were considered to be in high regard. We are thankful to and for our parents. Our role models are also people God placed in our lives during different ministry assignments. We have friends who have been married for 40-something years. Some have been married for 50. We cling to their wisdom. We watch their lives. We watch their adult children and we know their grandchildren. The role models God gave us are a force of encouragement, wisdom, and strength.
3. Local Mentorship. We look for people who can look us in the eye and tell us the truth in love. We prefer local mentors to actively be part of our lives. We benefited so much from the sound advice from people who were near. These sweet couples gave us access to their lives. We also gave them access to ours. We thank God for the strong friendship bonds that developed. We have been so blessed to receive from the wisdom that came from decades of Christian marriage.
4. We believe in Counseling. We've been going to counseling since the beginning of our marriage. It helps and it works. Counseling is worth the investment because of the long-term benefits it gives a family. I wrote quite a bit about counseling if you are interested in all my thoughts on the subject.
5. The killing power of covetousness. To covet is to strongly desire another's possessions. In marriage, it doesn't have to be a desire for another person. It may be their home, vacations, even lifestyle. There is lack of restraint when we fall into the trap of covetousness. This desire does not come from God. To put it simply, God doesn't give bad gifts. His desire is that we have contentment and joy. We learned to stay away from covetousness.
6. It's me and you, then the kids. We made a commitment to put one another first, even when those irresistable cute babies could have stayed with us in our room for years. We put one another first as a habit. We make our relationship a priority, even in seasons when we are so busy. We practice that in different ways. Our the relationship as a couple is our priority above all other relationships we have.
7. We have 100% chance to succeed in marriage if we do it God's way. This is our daily hope. God created families. He knows how they should work to the fullest. We look to God to continue to guide us as we press on to glorify Him through our marriage. This journey is about depending on God. We have a deep desire to please Him and honor the marriage He gave us.
Important advice from your experience! Thanks for sharing!
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