7 Reasons to Respect Your Marriage
When we said our “I dos” we knew we were in it for the long run. We didn’t say “I take you as my lawfully wedded husband/wife until things get rough, then I’ll bail.” In a day and age when the media is bombarded with examples of those who have chosen to leave their marriages, it’s important to remember that there are so many valuable reasons to work through challenges together. Here are 7 reasons to respect your marriage.
7 Reasons to Respect Your Marriage
1. Honor Your Vows
You and your spouse vowed, before God as well as your closest family and friends, to spend your lives together. You promised one another that you were entering your relationship for better or for worse. On our wedding day, things were amazing…things were certainly at their best. When the worst hits, though, honoring the vows that we made on the best of days reminds us to hold on for the ride, because things are sure to get better.
2. Honor Those Who Have Gone Before You
When either of us feels that marriage isn’t all that much fun, it helps to remember those who entered into the same kind of relationship. God made us to be in partnership with one another and He surely brought us together. Thinking about our loved ones who have worked through the ups and downs of marriage with their significant other helps us to remember that, like them, the union that we entered into is definitely worth it.
3. Recognize How You’ve Changed Together
Think about the people that you were when you said “I do.” Have you changed a bit together since then? Family and careers definitely have a way of changing a couple. When we reflect on the people that we used to be versus those who we are now, thinking about how we’ve changed and grown together (rather than as individuals) gives us the opportunity to focus on life’s journey and how we’re stronger because we’ve made it together.
4. To Serve as a Role Model to Those around You
As your children grow, they watch your relationship and see it as a standard that they will look to meet later in life. Do you wish for them to enter into a rocky marriage, or to seek a relationship filled with love and support? When we think about how we communicate with each other, it’s important for us to remember that our kids are watching us. Are we respectful of one another, or do we have some room to grow? Respecting our marriage (and one another) sets guidelines to ensure that our kids learn to do the same.
5. Support through Life’s Ups and Downs
As mentioned, life is definitely a roller-coaster ride sometimes! The ups may be doable on your own; but, frankly, how much fun is it to enjoy the ups by yourself? We’ve found that the downs in life are absolutely easier to endure with the support of your spouse. When we’ve had to work through job changes, loss of loved ones or other painful times in life, we’ve been there for one another to provide unconditional love. Respecting your vows means that you will have someone there with you each step of the way.
6. No One Said it Would Always be a Walk in the Park
There are so many benefits to being married! …The ceremony and party…creating a home and life together…having someone with whom to share life’s exciting times. When you made your vows, however, no one said that you’d have disagreements over who unloaded the dishwasher last time or over whose turn it is to fold the laundry. When we either of us starts feeling as though we aren’t loving the married life, we choose to think about our happy memories together: the births of our children, creating homes together. When we take time to think about it, the happy times sure outweigh the frustrations!
7. …because it’s Too Easy to Give up!
We see ourselves as fighters! We have made it our goal to never, ever give up on our family or on one another. That includes our marriage and all that it stands for. Rather than throwing our hands up and deciding that it’s not worth the time and effort to have a strong marriage, we’ve decided that there’s a reason that it’s so easy to give up. God has put us into each other’s lives for a reason and it’s our job to not take the easy way out. Marriage is worth fighting for…and that’s exactly what we plan to do.
Do you have other reasons to respect your marriage? Please share your ideas!
