Introduction
“Why is this so hard?” I can remember thinking those words (and sometimes unwisely saying them out loud) in the early stages of my marriage.
When I got married, my expectations of the home we would establish did not take into account the often deep-rooted conflicts and heartache that my wife and I would experience.
I thought marriage would be much easier. Sure, I knew there would be problems, but I figured they’d be easily taken care of. Marriage problems were for other couples. Not us .
Over the years, I discovered the validity of a core, scientific truth: Things left to themselves tend toward disorder and decay.
This truth most definitely applies to relationships as well as material objects. Left to their own, relationships will drift toward decay and ruin.
People “fall in love” all the time. And as a result of their strong feelings of love, infatuation and/or attraction, people decide to live together or get married. Over time, they learn (either consciously or unconsciously) that f alling in love is easy. Staying in love is something else entirely.
I’m here to tell you that staying i n love takes commitment. This is why we have marriage vows during wedding ceremonies.
Remember the vows you made? Assuming yours was a fairly traditional ceremony, you pledged to “forsake all others” and stay with your mate “in sickness or in health, poverty or wealth … until death you do part.”
It is that kind of commitment that sustains a marriage or, for that matter, any kind of relationship. It takes conscious, deliberate, and decisive effort to keep your relationsh ips on track. That’s what this e-book is all about – to help you put your marriage back on track, and enjoy an amazing relationship with your husband or wife!
So…here are my questions…
• Are you satisfied with your marriage?
• Are you fulfilled spiritually and emotionally?
• Are you happy?
• Is your spouse happy?
The reason why many people have to answer “no” to one or more of those questions is that they fail to understand the nature of relationships. Because it’s so easy for us to fall in love, we assume that it should be easy to stay in love. Yet, as we’ve just seen, this is not the case.
Once I actually learned this fundamental truth, I made the decision to do my part in leading my marriage to the point that I wanted it to be – and I believe my wife also wanted it to be. I wish I could say that the steps I took were brilliantly conceived, smoothly executed, and faithfully administered, and that our marriage experienced a 180 degree, overnight turnaround – and that now everything is perfect. But…I can’t say that.
No marriage is perfect. That is certainly true with my wife and me. We still have our disagreements and our challenges. I still have much learning and growing to do. If you’re looking for a book or e-book written by the perfect husband who is enjoying a perfect marriage, then look elsewhere.
If, however, you understand that no marriage is perfect and you’re hoping for some Bible-based encouragement from someone who saw his marriage turn around, then I believe this e-book will serve you well.
In spite of our faults, my wife and I were able to turn things around, and now we’re headed in the right direction. By the grace of God and the fact that I’m blessed with one of the greatest women ever to walk the earth, I can say that my marriage is better now than it’s ever been before. I look forward to many years of happiness and fulfillment ahead.
What follows is my effort to encourage you in your marriage. If you will read this with an open mind and a determination to act on what you read, I believe you can get your marriage headed in the right direction as well.
This e-book is not a comprehensive presentation of all the solutions to all the different marriage problems
“Why is this so hard?” I can remember thinking those words (and sometimes unwisely saying them out loud) in the early stages of my marriage.
When I got married, my expectations of the home we would establish did not take into account the often deep-rooted conflicts and heartache that my wife and I would experience.
I thought marriage would be much easier. Sure, I knew there would be problems, but I figured they’d be easily taken care of. Marriage problems were for other couples. Not us .
Over the years, I discovered the validity of a core, scientific truth: Things left to themselves tend toward disorder and decay.
This truth most definitely applies to relationships as well as material objects. Left to their own, relationships will drift toward decay and ruin.
People “fall in love” all the time. And as a result of their strong feelings of love, infatuation and/or attraction, people decide to live together or get married. Over time, they learn (either consciously or unconsciously) that f alling in love is easy. Staying in love is something else entirely.
I’m here to tell you that staying i n love takes commitment. This is why we have marriage vows during wedding ceremonies.
Remember the vows you made? Assuming yours was a fairly traditional ceremony, you pledged to “forsake all others” and stay with your mate “in sickness or in health, poverty or wealth … until death you do part.”
It is that kind of commitment that sustains a marriage or, for that matter, any kind of relationship. It takes conscious, deliberate, and decisive effort to keep your relationsh ips on track. That’s what this e-book is all about – to help you put your marriage back on track, and enjoy an amazing relationship with your husband or wife!
So…here are my questions…
• Are you satisfied with your marriage?
• Are you fulfilled spiritually and emotionally?
• Are you happy?
• Is your spouse happy?
The reason why many people have to answer “no” to one or more of those questions is that they fail to understand the nature of relationships. Because it’s so easy for us to fall in love, we assume that it should be easy to stay in love. Yet, as we’ve just seen, this is not the case.
Once I actually learned this fundamental truth, I made the decision to do my part in leading my marriage to the point that I wanted it to be – and I believe my wife also wanted it to be. I wish I could say that the steps I took were brilliantly conceived, smoothly executed, and faithfully administered, and that our marriage experienced a 180 degree, overnight turnaround – and that now everything is perfect. But…I can’t say that.
No marriage is perfect. That is certainly true with my wife and me. We still have our disagreements and our challenges. I still have much learning and growing to do. If you’re looking for a book or e-book written by the perfect husband who is enjoying a perfect marriage, then look elsewhere.
If, however, you understand that no marriage is perfect and you’re hoping for some Bible-based encouragement from someone who saw his marriage turn around, then I believe this e-book will serve you well.
In spite of our faults, my wife and I were able to turn things around, and now we’re headed in the right direction. By the grace of God and the fact that I’m blessed with one of the greatest women ever to walk the earth, I can say that my marriage is better now than it’s ever been before. I look forward to many years of happiness and fulfillment ahead.
What follows is my effort to encourage you in your marriage. If you will read this with an open mind and a determination to act on what you read, I believe you can get your marriage headed in the right direction as well.
This e-book is not a comprehensive presentation of all the solutions to all the different marriage problems
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