HOLD ON TIGHT

In marriage, even though you love your spouse deeply, you will still feel unhappy and alone sometimes. This is normal; it’s not an indicator that something has gone wrong with your marriage. There will also be times when the two of you will have to invest extra energy into one another in order to find your footing again.

Don’t become fearful; with hard work and perseverance, you and your spouse will be able to overcome the unhappy times you face together. Here are a few tips to help you get through.

1. Get To Know Each Other Again

After you’ve been married for several years—or decades—you think you still know one another–but your tastes change over time, and your old favorites aren’t your new favorites anymore. Being married is a continual process of getting to know your spouse again and again over the course of your relationship.

2. Spend More Time Together

One great way to bring happiness back into your relationship is to make more time for each other— valuable, energized time, not the leftovers after you’re already exhausted. The two of you need time to hang out together, when you can be playful and affectionate with each other.

Be fully present with each other as you create space in each day where you can slow down together.

3. Don’t Be A Victim

When the happiness in a marriage fades over time, the blame rarely rests on one spouse. Any time you’re facing an ongoing or longterm unhappiness issue in your relationship, it’s your responsibility to take a look at your life and question what role you may have in the situation. Instead of assuming the victim role and assigning the role of oppressor to your spouse, focus on becoming a healthier, happier person.

4. Focus OnThe Positives

When you’re going through a difficult time, it’s easy to allow yourselves to be drowned in negativity until you are unable to see the positive aspects of your spouse and your life together. During times like these, it’s important to be deliberate about being positive and cultivating a sense of gratitude for your blessings.

5. Hold On Tight

How you feel in your marriage right now isn’t how your marriage will always feel. The truth is, relationships are ever-changing. Love is always evolving. Hold tight to each other as you ride out the rough times together. When you come out on the other side (and you will!), you will be happier and closer than ever.

Bible Trivia

1. Is the book of Ruth in the Old or New Testament? Or neither?

2. Whose last words were, “O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes”? Was it Zimri, Paul, Eli or Samson?

3. From Proverbs 18:8, “The words of a talebearer are as _____”? Is it truths, wounds, answers or serpents?

4. Who assumed if Isaac died that God would be able to bring him back to life? Was it Rebekah, Esau, Abraham or Jacob?

5. From Genesis 25:1, who was Abraham’s second wife? Was it Keturah, Abigail, Vashti or Candace?