Blog
Marriage Advice
Monday, February 28, 2022 by By Sarah
tired as a mother…
Ignoring the mountain of dishes and the toys strewn across the living room, I settled onto the couch. Weary from the day, hope surged through me. Opening up my magazine, my excitement turned to frustration and then disgust. The article promising marital bliss contained advice from celebrities. Many of them were on their second, third, or even sixth marriage. All of them had been married less than a year. I threw the magazine down. What a waste of money.
in need of advice…
When I bought the magazine, I thought the article would strengthen my five-year-old marriage. I needed advice on juggling kids and a spouse. I needed to know how to deal with my husband’s demanding job. I needed real advice from someone who had been there, not an unrealistic look at marriage.
When we were first married, I didn’t see the baggage attached to my spouse, and luckily, he didn’t see mine either. Not long after the honeymoon, bad habits and weird relatives made their appearances. Unique quirks turned to annoyances. To make matters worse, our beautiful, perfect children had the same faults we had. When I threw the magazine down, I knew why many marriages didn’t make it. Now I needed help.
free help???
Over the years, I realized the best marriage advice was free, and it was all around me. My husband and I have been blessed with parents who lived the example of what marriage should look like. Watching them and talking to them has strengthened our marriage. After twenty years of marriage, here are some lessons we’ve learned.
- Put your marriage first — Marriage is the foundation of the family. Children need their parents to have a healthy relationship. They learn how to love others by seeing their parents love each other. When our children were small, we put them to bed early so that we could have a few minutes to reconnect every day. Now that our kids are teenagers, we prioritize a weekly date, even if it’s just a walk around the block.
- Always sleep in the same bed — My parents, who were married for over fifty years, practiced this one. Even when we are angry with each other, neither of us sleeps in a different bed. It’s hard to keep being angry when you’re so close to someone.
- Pray — Prayer is the most important part of any marriage. How else could two different people ever live together? When my husband was working 70+ hour work weeks, I made the mistake of using my prayer time as a time to complain. It wasn’t until I focused on what he needed that anything changed. We need to make sure we are praying for our spouses, not about them. Prayer needs to be focused on God, not our agendas.
a time to slow down…
Now we can have conversations and dates. We have time to remember why we chose each other. But we miss our newlywed selves. We wish we could tell those tired parents to slow down. Enjoy each other and those cute babies. Soon they’ll be moody teens. We don’t just look back; we also look forward. We plan for our future, knowing that every moment is fleeting. Marriage doesn’t always turn out how we planned. We don’t see the upcoming challenges or the joys.
After 47 years of marriage, my father-in-law resides in a memory care facility an hour away from his wife. My mother-in-law is learning a new and deeper dependency on God. She reminded me of the real reason the magazine article never helped. No matter the stage of your marriage, only one source of advice can be trusted.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV.
“The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms…” Deuteronomy 33:27, NIV.
What is the best marriage advice you’ve ever gotten? What makes your marriage work?
Previous Posts
A Curly Haired Girl
Sarah Schwerin
8/13/2024
For the Birds
Sarah Schwerin
7/9/2024
Too Much Adulting
Sarah Schwerin
6/11/2024
Ziplining The Canyon
Sarah Schwerin
5/14/2024
Book Review: Healing the Wounded Heart
Sarah Schwerin
4/9/2024
Unable to Relax?
Sarah Schwerin
3/12/2024
Who Am I?
Sarah Schwerin
2/13/2024
How's Your Heart
Sarah Schwerin
1/9/2024
The Frozen Ground of Christmas
Sarah Schwerin
12/19/2023
Book Review: Forgiving What You Can't Forget by Lysa TerKeurst
Sarah Schwerin
7/27/2023
What's Your Favorite Book?
Sarah Schwerin
7/13/2023
Overcoming Recurrent Hurts
Sarah Schwerin
6/22/2023
Book Review: #My Family Too! By Marlene Bagnull
Sarah Schwerin
5/25/2023
Second Breakfast
Sarah Schwerin
5/11/2023
Book Review: Hush by Nicole Braddock Bramley
Sarah Schwerin
4/27/2023
Unexpected and Unwanted
Sarah Schwerrin
4/13/2023
Books Review: We Too By Mary DeMuth
Sarah Schwerin
3/24/2023
An Envelope of Kindness
Sarah Schwerin
3/9/2023
Book Review: Healing For Damaged Emotions by David A. Seamands
Sarah Schwerin
2/23/2023
Misdirected Prayers
Sarah Schwerin
2/9/2023
Book Review: The Courage to Heal By: Ellen Bass and Laura Davis
Sarah Schwerin
1/26/2023
My Refuge: Where I Flee When Life is Hard
Sarah Schwerin
1/12/2023
Book Review - True North By: Dave Smith
Sarah Schwerin
12/29/2022
Oatmeal For Dinner
Sarah Schwerin
12/15/2022
Book Review of Rescuing Rose
Sarah Schwerin
11/28/2022
When Houses Fall
Sarah Schwerin
11/16/2022
An Invitation
Sarah Schwerin
9/21/2022
Planner Addict: What Happens When Plans Fail
Sarah Schwerin
9/16/2022
Fast Drivers and Two Brothers: When Life Isn't Fair
Sarah Schwerin
8/16/2022
Talking Birds
Sarah Schwerin
7/15/2022
Looking for a Leader: Reflections from the Gettysburg Battlefield
Sarah Schwerin
6/24/2022
Nap Hater: My Quest to Find Rest
Sarah Schwerin
5/3/2022
Dreams of Kenya
Sarah Schwerin
4/26/2022
Snow Days and Hearts that Lead Us Astray
Sarah Schwerin
4/13/2022
Can I Hide From God?
Sarah Schwerin
3/29/2022
Stitches and Waiting on God
Sarah Schwerin
3/25/2022
God’s Voice Or The Enemy’s?
By Sarah
3/3/2022
The Battles We Fight
By Sarah
3/3/2022
Drowning In Fear
By Sarah
3/2/2022
A Boring Bible Story, A Temple, And My Mom: A Devotion On Heaven
By Sarah
3/1/2022
Marriage Advice
By Sarah
2/28/2022
Does Idolatry Exist In Today’s World
By Sarah
2/27/2022
Underwear Blues
By Sarah
2/27/2022
A Voice In Chengdu
By Sarah
2/26/2022
Word Of The Year
By Sarah
2/25/2022
A New Year Challenge
By Sarah
2/24/2022
A Christmas Of Firsts And Lasts
By Sarah
2/23/2022
Christmas And The Suffering Servant: Hope For Abuse Survivors
By Sarah
2/22/2022
The Day I Stopped Watching Horror Movies
By Sarah - Life Lessons
2/21/2022
Waiting Arms
By Sarah
2/20/2022
I Messed Up, Again
By Sarah
2/19/2022
My Tribe: Autism Moms Are The Best
By Sarah
2/18/2022
When Words Wound
By Sarah
2/16/2022
Craving Acceptance
By Sarah
2/15/2022
When Innocent People Suffer
By Sarah
2/14/2022
Rubbish
By Sarah
2/12/2022
The Voices In My Head
By Sarah
2/11/2022
Buffets
By Sarah
2/10/2022
The Process Not The Product
By Sarah
2/9/2022
Hidden Snacks, Ice Cream, And Fairness
By Sarah
2/8/2022
Rootless
By Sarah
2/7/2022
You Never See The Potato Masher Coming
By Sarah
2/5/2022
Forgiveness
By Sarah
2/4/2022
The Unnamed Victim
By Sarah
2/1/2022
Engraved
By Sarah
1/31/2022
Left Handed Hero
By Sarah
1/30/2022
Quarantine Time
By Sarah
1/26/2022