So many of us when we were young and adults dream of marriage and having a family. And we don’t think about all of the challenges and things that go with it. Dating is fun and full of bliss and living on cloud 9. But unfortunately that doesn’t last forever.

Once you decide you want to marry this person everything and the future looks perfect at first and you feel like the sky is the limit and all your dreams are going to come true! Sadly this infatuation stage doesn’t last forever and after you are married you are faced with having to deal with the reality of the real world and life’s challenges that come at us. And the intertwining of two lives which includes habits and corks ect.

“To have a lasting relationship, it is also important to become the right person by getting rid of negative attitudes like bitterness, rage, and anger, and instead being kind, compassionate, and forgiving”. -Chip Ingram from the book Love, Sex and Lasting relationships

Of course things are not all bad and they are fun and new and still exciting. But life takes over, you go to work, take care of a house or an apartment, worry about finances and dream of starting a family. In between that being disagreements with your new spouse and maybe your dreams and expectations not lining up together and just feeling lost and lonely. Marriage can be lonely sometimes. Dreams can feel far away and or impossible sometimes. The truth is, is that marriage is just plain down hard work, can be painful and just exhausting sometimes. But putting in the hard work is always worth it and once you resolve things and work through things you see your growth and how much stronger you are.

Its important to stay close and connected in the Hard times:

What I have found is that It is important to be intentional in your marriage relationship. It is so easy to get distracted with life and everything going on. My husband and I found that reading books together, talking and connecting regularly helps us stay on track and focused on what is important. Without being intentional we would hardly have a relationship. This helps us to also focus on continuing working on improving ourselves so we can be better for each other. You cannot go wrong having an attitude of continuing to grow and learn and improve yourself.

Don’t forget too to go out and do fun things together!

While we were dating we also tried to be intentional in really getting to know each other so we read books together and then would have discussions about the chapters/topics we read about. This really set us up for success in our marriage and relationship. It didn’t make things perfect by any means but it did once again help us remember to focus on what is/was important and remember we are on the same team!

A good marriage is not something you find, but something you make through effort and intentionality. Gary Thomas-The Sacred Search

Thanks for Reading! Until Next time!

Please feel free to contact me and reach out with any questions just click the mail icon on the top right of my site or see it at the bottom of my page.

Crystal

• Click the link to see books that I recommend on dating and marriage Amazon Book Recs.

“When unsatisfied in a marriage, instead of focusing on changing your spouse, focus on changing yourself. Offering yourself to God to bring about internal change can lead to increased satisfaction with the same spouse, even after years of trying”. -Gary Thomas from the book The Sacred Search