I have been married to Scott now for 28 years and 1 month. I'd love to tell you that every one of those years has been wonderful and happy, but I can't. Some of those years were wonderful, some of them were horrible, and many of them were somewhere in between, but they have ALL been blessed. How, you ask, can I say that the horrible times were blessed? I mean, it makes sense to say the good times were a blessing, but the bad times, the in-between times, how have those been blessed? It's simple really. Because God, the One who loves us unconditionally, has never left us and it was in the tough times that we grew even closer to each other. We learned to depend on each other. We learned that we could disagree and the world wouldn't come to an end. We learned that we are two different people who sometimes have different opinions and that's ok. We learned to rely on each other's differing strengths all while putting our trust in God. He has never failed us.
Right now, I can honestly say that I am more in love with my husband than I have ever been. I thought I loved him more than anything the day I married him. I thought I could never love him more the day we had our first child, and our second, and our third. I thought I could never love him more when I was so sick after having some serious health issues and he took such good care of me. The truth is, every single day my love for him grows deeper. Now, don't roll your eyes. Everyone wants to have a love like that. You know it's true. I mean, 90% of songs on the radio are about love in some form or another, and how many movies out there are love stories? We all long to be loved. So, what's the secret to being madly, deeply, completely in love? Hold on to your seat for this amazing revelation...it's a CHOICE. Yep, you read that correctly. You can choose to concentrate on all the things your mate does that annoy you, or you can choose to concentrate on the good things. You can choose to have a bad attitude and gripe and complain, or you can choose to be positive and encouraging. You can choose to be sarcastic and snarky or you can choose to be kind and loving. In other words, set out to purposefully treat your spouse the way you yourself would want to be treated. Be kind, listen, encourage, compliment, and be patient with them. Make time for them and make certain they know you've made them a priority in your life. Even if your spouse isn't doing these things, at first, they will take notice of the changes in you and it will change their attitude too.
You'll have to be patient, though, especially if you've had a difficult relationship for a while now. But isn't it worth it? To be madly, deeply in love with your mate again? It's a bit like that book, The Love Dare. If I could give you one piece of advice from someone who has been married longer than the average couple, aside from putting God first in your marriage, it would be to treat each other with kindness, gentleness, respect and a sense of humor. Our marriage may not always be perfect, but we've never been happier and I wish the same for you.
p.s. - I love you Scott!
Right now, I can honestly say that I am more in love with my husband than I have ever been. I thought I loved him more than anything the day I married him. I thought I could never love him more the day we had our first child, and our second, and our third. I thought I could never love him more when I was so sick after having some serious health issues and he took such good care of me. The truth is, every single day my love for him grows deeper. Now, don't roll your eyes. Everyone wants to have a love like that. You know it's true. I mean, 90% of songs on the radio are about love in some form or another, and how many movies out there are love stories? We all long to be loved. So, what's the secret to being madly, deeply, completely in love? Hold on to your seat for this amazing revelation...it's a CHOICE. Yep, you read that correctly. You can choose to concentrate on all the things your mate does that annoy you, or you can choose to concentrate on the good things. You can choose to have a bad attitude and gripe and complain, or you can choose to be positive and encouraging. You can choose to be sarcastic and snarky or you can choose to be kind and loving. In other words, set out to purposefully treat your spouse the way you yourself would want to be treated. Be kind, listen, encourage, compliment, and be patient with them. Make time for them and make certain they know you've made them a priority in your life. Even if your spouse isn't doing these things, at first, they will take notice of the changes in you and it will change their attitude too.
You'll have to be patient, though, especially if you've had a difficult relationship for a while now. But isn't it worth it? To be madly, deeply in love with your mate again? It's a bit like that book, The Love Dare. If I could give you one piece of advice from someone who has been married longer than the average couple, aside from putting God first in your marriage, it would be to treat each other with kindness, gentleness, respect and a sense of humor. Our marriage may not always be perfect, but we've never been happier and I wish the same for you.
p.s. - I love you Scott!
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