Marriage

Unmet expectations are one of the most destructive contributors to broken marriages.

The recent tragedy that struck the Steven Curtis Chapman home brought this issue to the forefront of our minds. As the Chapman's grieve and piece their lives back together, thousands of other couples are experiencing similar tragedies. How can families come through the other side of a child's death?

The easiest way the Devil can steal from our marriages often does not look like dramatic breaks of trust or infidelity - it's actually just letting life consume us to the point that we slowly are strangers living in the same home. The way to avoid the slow fade out of love is intentionality!

You don’t wait for your roof to cave in before fixing your house. So why do we wait for our marriages to fall apart before we act.

A Christian marriage is designed by God to flourish, even as individual Christians flourish. The closer each partner grows toward God, emulating His character, the closer they’ll likely grow toward each other.

Here’s how the challenge works. Every day for the next 30 days, you will pray in a specific way for your wife. We have provided related articles and Bible verses for you to study and pray over your wife.

Can I change my spouse? Do the kids always have to come first? These answers and more to help you transform your marriage.

It might be time to change the "usual or fixed way" you do things and try something different. It might be time to change your routine. The way you did things before kids might not work once you have kids. The way you did something last year might not work this year.

Rather than pursue a "fight-free" marriage, perhaps seek a relationship with healthy conflict resolution. While I do not savor conflict, the truth is that often conflict can lead to a healthier and stronger marriage. Through confronting our issues, we grow deeper in understanding, love, and affection for each other.

The drifting that occurs when we are not in perpetual union with Christ (Hebrews 2) has ripple effects like wandering from our role as wife, helper, encourager, and teammate. Drifting is sneaky and brutally subtle. In the same way we search our hearts for idols so we do not transgress the first and second commandments, we must also survey our attitudes towards our callings in the home, starting with our covenant relationship.

As a newlywed, I was a bit obsessed with keeping my husband happy. To the point that I often denied my own feelings. Husband: “Are you okay?’ Me: “I’m fine.” Husband: “Anything wrong?” Me: “Nope, all is good.” Meanwhile, inside, I would be struggling with anger or hurt. My motto which I adopted when I was young was, “Don’t rock the boat.” I assumed if I didn’t disagree or confront anyone, everyone would stay happy.

Marriage won’t last on feelings alone. Discover five biblical foundations every Christian couple must build on if they want a marriage that endures.

Setting aside our reaction in order to fully listen to our mate is a challenge, but necessary and critically important.

When you learn to let go and allow your newlywed children to establish their own family unit under the Lord’s authority, you are showing respect for the God-ordained sanctity of marriage. This in turn allows the couple to grow closer together as one. Avoid the temptation to interfere, manipulate, or dictate their decision-making process.

What happens when adultery enters the picture? Does it mean the end of your marriage?