We just love a proven plan that works! Think about it. How many workouts does it take to get you down to the weight that you want or get in the shape you want? Just one—the one you stick with! How many times do you have to repeatedly reorganize your drawers at home or in your office? Just once when you discipline yourself to stick with the system that works! How many approaches to marriage do you sample before you experience the changes you’d like to see and get some positive results? Just one when you understand, believe in, internalize, commit to and stick with it!
All of us long for the same thing—a great marriage relationship. Can you have it? Absolutely! Everyone at every age and stage of marriage needs some positive relationship coaching that will help us discover life-changing principles that work. The tools that work during the good times are the same when the going gets tough.
What do you do when reality hits?
Reality hits like a storm. So it’s not if the reality of life crashes in around a married couple, it’s simply when. When we live through season upon season of unmitigated stress and fatigue it will produce burnout in marriage. And you don’t want that! Today you may be exhausted and at your breaking point and you’re tempted to throw in the towel and quit. Perhaps trials have hit and you’re taking cover, shielding yourself with an invisible wall of self-protection from the very one you love the most because you have been hurt by the mistakes they have made. You want to feel safe and not take risks, but by choosing to quit, you’ll stop growing together. Why? Because the marriage feels too hard. We’ve got news for you—your marriage isn’t about you. Your marriage belongs to God, and we run the race for Him.
Decide All Over Again
You know that if you don’t play a basketball game, you can’t win. If you quit early or your team stops trying, you can’t win either. If this principle works in basketball it can be applied to marriage as well. You’ve got to stay in the game to win. When you choose to get back into the game, you choose to have high goals for your marriage and you decide. You make the choice. Decide has a Latin derivative meaning, “to cut away from,” likened to an incision during surgery. When you decide to commit to your marriage, you are cutting away all other possibilities, all other options, ALL other people. Your decision to decide to work at having a great marriage is a powerful motivation to become a better spouse. It takes a single focus and commitment in believing what you are doing is extremely important; you’re making your marriage your clear priority—with no room for misunderstandings.
Remember, perseverance is mental toughness. It’s one of the single most important skills we have. It’s the ability to hold on in the face of pressure and stress of life. Mental toughness is what it takes to glue the marriage together. Perseverance is the ability to be dedicated, to refuse to give in and call it quits—it’s FEARLESS LOVE.
Could your marriage benefit from a little perseverance? Maybe you’re facing some giant challenges in your marriage or some smaller hurdles. Whatever the case may be, you can persevere, but it has to start with a decision.
