Nurturing Marriage: Pray and BUILD IT
Every marriage is potentially fragile.
‘Pray to God for providence, help and mercy on your marriage!‘, would be the common advice given by people of the faith.
I absolutely agree with the advice.
It is something that we MUST do if we dare to call ourselves Christians.
We ask, we plead, we beg for God’s help and mercy on our marriage, on our family.
Sadly, we live in such an era where extra-marital affairs are common, divorce rates are high, and lack of love amongst spouses and siblings are regarded as … normal.
Christian marriages too are under great pressure, every day.
So, praying and asking God for help is a MUST.
We must never lean on our own understanding, effort and strengthBecause we must never lean on our own understanding, effort and strength.
Having said that though.
To build and nurture our marriage ALSO require (huge and consistent!) efforts on our part.
(Husbands or wives who are involved in ministries, who pray diligently, who go to church regularly may very well be cold and ignorant husbands or wives who FAIL to realise the importance of connecting with the spouse, who fail to show appreciation and affection, etc)
…
To me, there are many things that husbands and wives can do to nurture their relationship.
Here are the two points I’d like to share in this post:
1. Husbands and wives must work on their communication.
They must strive to stay connected though they have busy daily routines.
eg.
– During the day, share what you’re doing, what your day is like with your spouse, eg. Via Whatsapp
– REPLY your spouse’s message!
– Spend time chit-chatting and exchanging thoughts when kids are in bed
REPLY your spouse’s message– If there’s something about your spouse that bothers you, share about it with him/her at a time that’s good for both. Be prepared to listen and find a way out together.
…
2. They must build on their romance, intimacy and affection.
eg.
– Hold hands and cuddle
– Appreciate your spouse verbally
Appreciate your spouse verbally– Spend time doing something together (like, watching a movie together at home when all kids are in bed). Enjoy each other’s presence.
…
In short, husbands and wives must SPEND TIME together and build on their relationship.
Be it to pray together, go out as a couple, or simply sit on the sofa and just cuddle up and chat.
…
Family and relationship crisis is ever increasing now.
Let’s pray and make the effort to nurture our relationship with our spouse. Every single day. Regardless of how long we’ve been married to each other.
May God help every one of us.
