Marriage Advice To Make It Last

We did not set out to give marriage advice to any couples, but we had heard just about every imaginable reason why men and women were giving up on their marriages and it was breaking our hearts.

You see, my husband and I nearly gave up on our marriage 20 years ago when things got a little rough. Our communication had broken down and we were feeling a lot of anger and tension in our relationship. Giving up on our marriage seemed like the easiest thing to do, but after ten years of marriage and two children, it just wasn't that simple.

We were forced to deal with a lot of issues before pursuing a divorce. And what a blessing it was that getting a divorce wasn't easy. It forced us to do a lot of soul searching and receiving marriage advice from others that eventually led us to rekindle the love and passion in our own marriage.

While we are not professional marriage counselors, we try to guide and lead struggling couples through their difficulties so they can save their marriage and experience the same joy that we have over these last twenty years. It would have been a huge loss for Dale and I and our two sons if we had thrown it all away because we were not willing to fight to save our marriage.

With that as a foundation, I want to share with you some basic facts that we have found about successful marriages. First, we have found that most marriages go through some very difficult times; difficult moments that could easily lead to divorce. The couples who survived long-term did not give in, instead they dug in and fought to save their marriage and their families. So a couple of qualities you must have for a long successful marriage is determination and commitment.

You must be able deal with the daily problems that come along in life, including:

• Money struggles
• In-laws
• Job stress
• Raising a family
• Disagreements/differences of opinion

It does not matter whether you are a newlywed or a couple who has celebrated their Silver or Golden anniversary. There is not one generation or age group who has not had to deal with this set of problems and much more. The couples whose marriages have survived and thrived understand that the key ingredient to long-term success is Commitment to their partner and their marriage.

They understand that like everyone else in a marriage relationship, they know their marriage will have challenges and up & down moments. Many long-married couples are of the opinion that young newlywed couples today just don’t try hard enough. They see younger couples givng up to soon after a disagreement or argument.

Do you remember the words below or something very similar from your wedding ceremony?

"I, Debbie, take you Dale, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part."

Long-married couples, in particular, seem to take their marriage vows very seriously. They meant it when the said that they are going to love, honor and cherish their mate. If you are truly committed to your marriage and partner, you must act on this marriage advice by doing a simple, but vital personal assessment of your marriage.

Ask your self these questions:

• Are you ready "to love and to cherish" each other?
• Are you really committed to being there for your spouse "for better or worse"?
• Are you willing to stick it out through the financial ups and downs of "for richer or poorer"?
• Are you going to try hard to make the relationship work "in sickness and in health"?
• Are you committed to staying with your mate "until death do us part"?

No one else can put this marriage advice to work for you and do this assessment for you. Only you and your partner can answer these questions to determine if you are committed to a life-long marriage.

While you may be at a place right now where you and your mate are not on the same page and you seem to be struggling more now than prospering in your relationship, you can turn this ship around and get it back on course if both of you are committed.

A great person once said that,"Success is a journey, not a destination." So are you ready to put this marriage advice to work for you in your marriage by being committed to this Success Journey?