The Mrs. Rev Podcast: 21 Years and Counting: A Special Conversation on Love and Marriage
I am so excited to welcome my husband, Pastor Nathan Miller to the Podcast this week! We just celebrated out 21st wedding anniversary, and we have learned a lot along the way.
Many couples make the mistake of thinking that marriage equals perfection. So if their marriage is not perfect, then it’s not good. They tend to compare what they know about their own marriage with what they don’t know about other people’s marriages. This cycle of comparison leads to discontentment and negativity.
However, if you are rooted in faith and love, you won’t highlight the negative.
Marriage is not just a covenant between a man and a woman, it’s a three-way covenant with God. In today’s episode, we talk about three areas that you need to work on in your marriage if you want to have a healthy, thriving, and lasting relationship.
Communication
If you want to communicate effectively, you have to understand that the goal of communication is to understand one another. It takes time and humility to develop a heart that is willing to listen instead of just arguing your own perspective. Sometimes, you have to be willing to meet in the middle or redefine the goal so that you can stay in unity.
“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:1
Sometimes, to keep unity, you have to be okay with not getting your own way. You have to be humble, and you have to remember to treat your spouse just as good as you treat others--if not even better!
“Self is the opposite of love, and self is the #1 destroyer of marriages.”
Commitment
If you want to have a successful marriage, you have to determine that there is no quitting allowed. If you’re in it to win it, you play differently. You will do what it takes to make it work and have a happy life together.
Your commitment cannot be based on what you can get out of a relationship. That’s not commitment. It’s not even love. Real covenant love says that everything I have is yours, and everything you have is mine. My commitment has to go beyond the convenience of a moment. Let the Holy Spirit fight your battles and show up as your best for your spouse.
Creating a vision for your marriage
You have to know what you want your marriage to look like so that you know where you need to make daily investments. You also have to recognize that your spouse is a treasure and a gift from God. If you I see your spouse as a treasure, you will want to invest in that vision! For the most part, you are where you are because you haven’t invested. Look at where you want to be and take action toward that vision every day.
Q: Which of these three areas do you think you need to work on most in your marriage? Take some time to talk to your spouse about that area and what expectations they have. Renew your commitment to pursue a happy, God-honoring marriage together!
Pray this: Thank you God for blessing me with my spouse! I thank you that they are a gift from you and that you are leading them and guiding them every day. Help me to be the best spouse that I can be and to selflessly invest in my marriage every day. Help me to look beyond the day-to-day challenges and see the potential in my marriage and my spouse. In Jesus’ name, Amen.