Marriage isn’t for the faint of heart. It requires two people to become one, and that takes a lot of hard work and commitment. Most of us were never taught line by line, principal by principal, how to live a happy and fulfilled marriage. Someone taught you how to ride a bicycle… how to drive a car…. operate a computer…. But very few of us learned how to live a happy, successful marriage.

Marriage isn’t for the faint of heart.

No perfect spouse

Nobody told us to expect trouble either—except God. Through the Apostle Paul, He warned, “Nevertheless [the married] will have trouble in the flesh” (1 Cor.7:28). We all have the idea that, once we find the perfect mate who fills our every need, we will live the dream! Of course, it doesn’t take long to realize that isn’t true at all! 

The major problem stems from our faulty perception of the perfect mate. If you’re like me, you wanted somebody that loves the same things you love, does the same things you do, reacts the same way you react… so forth and so on. In truth, God puts us together with a partner opposite of ourselves. You have heard the old saying that opposites attract. Boy, is that true! 

But we don’t discover that fact right away. We call it the honeymoon stage—when our eyes are blinded to all our mate’s imperfections. During this period, our husband/wife can do no wrong in our eyes. It’s funny how what starts as little bumps in the road later grow into huge mountains! Little bumps like snoring, picking our teeth, leaving our clothes on the floor, forgetting to shower…. You get the picture. 

Marriage is more about God fulfilling His plan in your life than it is about your happiness.

God’s master plan

Every couple experiences trouble in the flesh—and God designed it that way. Why? So that we would see our need for Him. Every married couple eventually comes to realize that a healthy, successful union will take more of God and less of us… and a lot of hard work. Marriage is God’s design. His plan is to mature us as His children and to teach us along the way what true happiness and fulfillment is. All things are possible with God (Matt. 19:26). 

Unfortunately, too many people bail out of their marriage after the honeymoon stage is over and, therefore, never truly grow in their walk with God. They miss out on discovering who God is and who they really are. 

Change requires a backbone

It takes courage to allow God to change us. Yet that is the journey every Christian walks every day. It is a journey of transforming into the image of Jesus. Marriage is more about God fulfilling His plan in our lives than it is about our happiness. In reality, the kind of happiness most of us seek is self-centered and selfish. As long as the relationship meets our every need and desire and doesn’t require us to change, we’re good with it! True happiness involves working through all our intricacies, dying to self and living for God.

Self-centered happiness won’t last because your mate is wired differently from you. You were brought up differently, given different values and beliefs; and that’s the way God planned it. It takes courage to hang in there and let Him blend us together. It calls for a continued willingness to die to our own desires and put our marriage first—before ourselves.

No experience in life works more effectively to build godly character than marriage.

The character builder

No experience in life works more effectively to build godly character than marriage. If you play it safe and stay single, you will only grow so much. Or you can take the challenge, draw on God’s courage and grow exponentially in your walk with Him. 

Take an orange tree, put it in a small pot and bring it to New York where temperatures get well below freezing. Even if you keep it in your house, it will only grow so much because it’s not in its proper environment. But plant it outdoors in Florida, take care of it and you will have bushels full of oranges every year. The same is true with your life.

Are you planted in the right environment to grow the way God intended? Do you have the courage to get married, stay married and work at your marriage with God’s help? If so, you’re in a good position to reach the spiritual destiny God has for you. Growth takes courage.

We love hearing from you! Won’t you take a moment to comment below?…

There is one key that—not only holds marriages together, but—brings them into the fullness of God’s glory. That one key is comprised of at least five core values by which you both live married life. Values are those things that you have deep convictions about in your heart. Values are non-negotiable. They govern the direction your marriage takes and form its walls of protection. 

Values are like the fence around your house. That fence defines, protects and identifies your house and its property. That’s what having at least five core values does for your marriage. Now we all have values individually but, most of the time, we don’t recognize them. These unseen, unspoken principles fence in your lifestyle and protect your destiny every day. Sadly, those same principles—when brought into your marriage—often cause conflict. 

That one key is comprised of at least five core values by which you live married life. 

Conflicting values

One spouse may place high value on their social life, and he or she pursues social interactions all the time. Meanwhile, the other mate values the opposite. They desire personal intimacy and that is their major focus. Both are good values, but they oppose each other and will eventually bring conflict in the marriage.  

Couples need to decide what values are most important for their marriage, even if certain ones are unimportant to the other. The marriage needs to be the major focus and not our own selfish needs and desires. Remember there are three entities in a marriage: You, your spouse and your marriage itself. Ultimately, a couples’ decisions should always come down to what’s best for their marriage—not what’s best for either individual.

Define, define, define

So take the time to identify what your marriage values should be, and discuss them with your mate. Talk about whether or not those ideals are already in place and, if not, what you can do as a couple to build them in. 

These principles become a road map for your success and fulfillment as a couple. 

Identifying your current values will help you to decide which ones to let go of and which ones to embrace. These principles become a road map for your success and fulfillment as a couple. You will never reach that place of marriage wholeness unless you have at least 5 core values that become the foundation of your marriage.

A tale of two marriages

Matthew 7:24-27 describes two kinds of houses (we’ll say marriages). One marriage is built on a foundation of sand (having no defined core values). The other is built on a solid rock (having very well-defined values). Both couples face the same troubles in life, but the marriage without a strong foundation is destroyed. The one built on the rock survived the same storms that took the other one out, but didn’t collapse. Rather, that marriage stood firm in the midst of all the problems it faced. 

Your values will not only define your marriage, but will also lay a pathway for marital success and protection.

Let me suggest a few marriage values that you and your spouse might like to build upon. Though values are necessary for success, this list is by no means a guarantee for achieving success. Values must come from both of your hearts. These values will not only define your marriage, but will also lay a pathway for marital success and protection. It is definitely worth taking the time to discover what those ideals need to be for you as a couple. 

Suggested values

1. Loving God. This one is a no-brainer, and every marriage needs to stand on it as a foundational principle. Whenever you put God first, everything just seems to work out better—no matter what storms come. I believe that we really don’t have financial or relationship problems. We have lordship problems. But when both mates pursue God as the number one value, the best is yet to come—and always will be! 
2. Honesty is another value I highly recommend. You could define honesty as a willingness to be transparent with one another without having to pay a price. Most marriages fail because of poor communication. However, if you both establish honesty as a marriage value, your communication level will increase exponentially.
3. Happiness is a core value I would NOT recommend. It sounds funny to say it, but if you make happiness a foundation for your marriage, you will be very disappointed… and your marriage will fail. Happiness is a fruit of having core values—but not a value itself. Yes, we all want happiness, but it will only result from a lot of hard work and living out our marriage values. If you read my blog from 2 weeks ago, you know that a good marriage requires self-sacrifice. But in the end, it will produce the fruit of happiness. 

Can you name at least 3 more core values that you think should be added to a marriage? I would be interested in hearing from you.…