Marriage can be both fulfilling and challenging at the same time. It’s inevitable that conflicts will come up from time to time. But no matter where you’re at in your relationship, it’s important to remember that God loves you and has a good plan for your life.
It’s important to strengthen your marriage before you adopt so that your baby comes home to stable, Christ-centered parents. Here are four tips to follow for a wonderful Christian marriage:
1. Remember That Marriage Takes Work
– 1 Corinthians 13:5
Every morning when you get up, set having a good marriage as one of your daily goals. You need to be purposeful about this because you can’t just accidentally develop a close, Godly relationship. Many times, it will take prayer. Ask the Lord to give you a creative idea for a way that you can bless your spouse.
Actively listen to your spouse and seek clues on ways to bless, serve, and encourage them. Listen with the attitude that you’re going to meet their needs.
2. Give and Receive Forgiveness
– Philippians 3:13
Forgiveness is the main ingredient in every successful relationship. But many people have exceptions to their offer of love. They might think, “I love you, but I’m too tired, too busy, and too annoyed to be nice to you right now.’ True love simply says, ‘I love you!’ There are no conditions or exceptions!
Start each day with a prayer: Lord, I choose to forget what happened in the past, and I look forward to all the blessings that You have for both of us today. You’ve already forĀgiven me for yesterday, and I forgive my partner for any hurt I may have felt in the past. I won’t let what happened in the past ruin the affection and loving attention I can give to my partner today. Amen.
3. Christly Confrontation
– Ecclesiastes 5:2
We should be careful with our words and with our thoughts before God. Trouble often happens in marriages when one spouse speaks hastily and without giving their words a lot of thought first.
Develop the habit of asking the Lord what He would do before you confront your spouse. The key to improving your conversations is to learn to confront the way God shows you to do it when He shows you to do it. Part of that means that you leave the issue alone when He says to leave it alone.
4. Timing is Everything
– Ecclesiastes 3:7
To have effective communication, timing is extremely important. You can cause your marriage a lot of trouble by not choosing the right time to speak. There’s a time to discuss a problem, and there’s a time to leave it alone.
Watch for the right time to bring up the topic on your heart, so your spouse is more receptive to you. If you’re angry, tired, or under a lot of stress, be slow to speak. Choose a time when you feel the Holy Spirit is prompting you to express your needs.