Good morning!

Here’s a tidbit that you may not have known about me.  I am a HUGE Karen Kingsbury fan.  She is my go to when my mind needs to relax in God’s love and enjoy a wonderful story of that love at the same time.  I have almost every book that she has written so if you are a local friend and need a good read, I know where you can borrow one.

Since this is June, a traditional month for weddings, I thought I would share something from one of her novels, When We Were Young.  These tips work for not only marriages, but other relationships too.

I hope you love them as much as I do and can possibly even apply them somewhere in your life.

Pray Unceasingly!!

In His light,

Lois

Elizabeth Baxter’s 10 Secrets to a Happy Marriage (Karen Kingsbury)

  1.  Keep God first – By loving God more than your spouse, you will always be humble enough to love your spouse more than humanly possible.  This makes for a beautiful marriage.

Matthew 6:33 – But first seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

  •  Divorce is not an option – From the beginning, remove the word “divorce” from your vocabulary.  People do not look for a door where one does not exist.

Mark 10:9 – Therefore what God has joined together, let no man separate.

  • Marriage is not 50/50 – There will be days when one of you falls short.  Make it your goal to give 100 percent every day.  That way you are covered.  Every day, forever!

               Colossians 3:23 – Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.

  •  Know your spouse’s love language – People speak love in different ways.  Gifts, acts of service, words of affirmation, physical touch, intentional time.  Figure out how to speak to each other so that the love between you will grow.

Romans 12:9 – Love must be sincere.

  •  Expect the best of each other, be patient, and forgive easily.  Attitude is everything in marriage.  Look for ways to humbly be kind to your spouse.  Keep short accounts.  Don’t worry about being right.

Ephesians 4:2 – Be patient, bearing with one another in love.

Colossians 3:13 – Bear with each other and forgive one another… forgive as the Lord forgave you.

  •  Keep dating – Your marriage must be a priority.  Seek God first, then your spouse. Each other.  Every day.  Never stop dating and pursuing each other.  Value and celebrate your love.

Song of Solomon 3:2 – I must seek the one my soul loves.

  •  Build each other up – Kind words are free.  Look for ways to encourage each other.  Every day.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 – Therefore encourage one another and build each other up.

  • Laugh often – Find reasons to be silly.  Smile and be light-hearted.  You’ll laugh about it later, so make up your mind to laugh about it today.

Proverbs 17:22 – A cheerful heart is good medicine.

  • Live within your means – Couples who get in debt stay stressed.  Living within your means can be great fun.  Take walks.  Play board games.  Visit your park,  Clip coupons.

Hebrews 13:5 – Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have.

  1. Fix yourself, not your spouse – Work to be kinder and gentler.  Be the person your spouse married.  Listen well.  Be intentional.

Matthew 7:3 – Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?