Today we want to challenge you to experience a great marriage by getting rid of the excuses that keep a marriage from growing…and just make it happen!
GET RID OF THE EXCUSES
When storms of stress and change blow into my life or yours, it takes sheer determination to get through it with the goal that those changes will always push you toward something BIGGER! It takes an attitude that no matter what, as a couple we are going to win this battle that we are going through united, and we are going to overcome it TOGETHER! You win as a couple in marriage when you decide to be on each other’s team and not let anything divide you. Get rid of the excuses as to why you can’t make it and stop wallowing in self-pity. Once you stop fabricating excuses you can start spending energy creating victories in marriage.
MAKE IT HAPPEN
Perseverance determines your heart to stay strong when the storms howl in your marriage. Perseverance strengthens the bonds of love and grows you closer together, strengthening your friendship and your family. How can you make sure you and your spouse have what it takes? Here are five vital keys to persevere and win the race in your marriage:
- Connect and stay connected! Your ability to endure together in the hard times is directly proportional to the depth of your partnership in good times. If you want to stay glued together in difficulties, you have to apply the cement of partnership now! Take time out during your day to tell your spouse you love them, connect with them throughout the day and let them know they matter to you.
- Make your relationship a safe place! Is your relationship a safe place where both of you can run from the troubles and terrors of life? Your spouse needs to know now that your loving arms will always be a shelter in the midst of trial or tragedy. He or she will sense that assurance only if you practice empathy and comfort now! Safety happens when your spouse is emotionally present—totally with you—and you are present for him or her. Your relationship becomes a safe place when you lower your defenses and share yourself fully with your spouse.
- Keep communicating! When you isolate from your spouse, deny them access to your emotions, or presume they don’t understand your position, the cancer of defeat can begin to spread in your marriage and steadily eat away at your resolve. When you begin to feel yourself pulling away from your spouse, confront the problem head on, discover what you need from each other and never be too proud to solicit outside help.
- Decide to tackle trouble together – wherever it takes you! In the storms of life you may wonder if your spouse will draw closer to you and stand with you or turn away and let you do the battle alone. You may also wonder if you have the strength to hang in there with your spouse or if you will be tempted to walk away. Now is the time to decide together: Together we will tackle anything that comes our way, and we will stay together in it no matter where it goes.
One wise person said, “You can’t fix the tire by changing the driver.” And we also love what Cortes said after he burned his boats, “We can’t turn back, either we SUCCEED or we die here. EXCUSES ARE NOT an option.”
As a married couple you just can’t allow difficulties to sink you—what separates the champions from others is how they react to disappointments. They choose to get right back into the race after they have fallen down. What’s your method of perseverance as a couple?
