Marriage Expectations

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of married bloggers sharing their inspirations,
anecdotes, struggles and thoughts regarding
the amazing union of two separate people, as one.
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The husband and I recently joined a small group couples study in the hopes that it will help strengthen our marriage and bring more fellowship with other young couples. As I was digging through all of marriage books and resources to share with the group, I came upon this great article published by Family Life and entitled "10 Ideas: Surprising Ways to Increase Romance." I don't know about all of you, but every time I see the cover all of those magazines with promises on "how to heat up your sex life with 3 easy moves" or "how to lose ten pounds in two weeks with 7 easy changes" I just roll my eyes. They're all the same thing and if they really worked then why are millions of people out there still searching for the answers? When I saw the title of this article I was a bit skeptical but given Family Life's stellar background I had high hopes that it would be a different sort of article and it didn't disappoint.

"Romance is an interesting word. It conjures up all kinds of thoughts for both men and women: candlelight, soft music, longing looks. Some might even think of a walk in the park or a bike ride together. But no matter how you see it, romance is really the act of wooing one another; it's a longing to be with someone and acting in such a way that makes that person desire to be with you. For many couples, romance is easy before marriage—there were no kids to distract, no pressures of finances to fight over, no annoying habits to live with. After marriage, these things start to eat away at your longing to be with your spouse. Desire is a key part of romance, so the act of wooing doesn't work very well if there is none. Perhaps you've grown distant in your relationship and you spend more time with friends and the children than you do with each other.

1. Communicate. As simple as it seems, you need to talk to each other. You may be thinking, But I talk to my spouse all the time. I'm not talking about discussing family business. When I say "talk" I mean dream together, share your thoughts, expose your feelings instead of keeping them to yourself. It's important to turn off the television or put down that magazine and look into each other's eyes while you converse. Really listen and understand. If your spouse is distracted, then ask him or her to carve out 10-15 minutes just to catch up.

2. Keep short accounts and extend forgiveness regularly. Nothing will ruin a desire to be with your spouse faster than resentment and bitterness. In return, it also ruins your spouse's desire to be with you. Fights are going to happen in marriage; there's no way around it. But you can choose to handle these conflicts in the right way and build up your marriage instead of tearing it down.

3. Live selflessly. As followers of Christ, we are called to be servants (Galatians 5:13). This not only applies to the church body and our neighbors, but it also applies in marriage. Since we live so closely to our husbands and wives, it's easy to forget that we are called to serve them as much as anyone else. As a matter of fact, your spouse may be the most important person in your life (other than Christ) to serve.

4. Use words of affirmation regularly. The tongue is a powerful tool. James 3:6 tells us that the tongue has the ability to defile the whole body and set on fire the course of a man's life. In the same way, a critical attitude can make or break a marriage. Instead of pointing out all of the ways your spouse regularly disappoints you, start to look for the positive attributes. Take the opportunity to express your heartfelt appreciation. By giving a little praise, more of your mate's good qualities will stand out, and in addition, you will find your spouse's heart growing larger toward you as he or she feels more appreciated and adored.

5. Never stop saying, "I love you." A woman at one of FamilyLife's Weekend to Remember marriage conferences was ecstatic because her husband told her, "I love you." This couple had been married more than 25 years, and the last time that phrase left his lips was on their wedding day. "I told her once," her husband said. "I figured that was enough." The words "I love you" never grow old—your wife or husband needs to hear them regularly, especially when you've had a fight or he or she has disappointed you in some way.

6. Laugh together. Marriage isn't just a business deal. You have the opportunity to be best friends if you're willing to invest in the relationship. Do you remember all the fun things you did together when you were dating? Stop reminiscing about those memories from the past and create some new ones. Proverbs 17:22 says, "A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones." Play games with other couples and be on the same team. Watch a comedy together, and then go have ice cream after the show. Turn off the TV and tell your favorite jokes. If you're ready for a change in your marriage, make room for a little laughter in your schedule.

7. Tame your thoughts. I've heard it said that the most sexual organ in the body is the mind. If your mind isn't in the mood for love, then nothing will be. Women especially have a difficult time enjoying sexual intercourse if they are emotionally unprepared. Even men will find it hard to enjoy if they feel emotionally detached from their spouses.

8. Pray together. Spiritual intimacy is more important than physical intimacy. Many couples have regular sexual activity, but are not intimate—they miss out on the soul, the person your spouse is underneath the flesh. Christ is the bond that makes marriages strong and sturdy. By praying together, you begin to have a deeper respect and admiration for each other spiritually.

9. Check your expectations. If you find that your spouse is continually disappointing you, it may not be his or her actions; it may be your expectations. Everyone comes into marriage with a set of unspoken rules about life. "Husbands should always …" and "Wives should always … ." These rules are based on conclusions we've made watching our own parents and other couples that we admire. There is nothing wrong with goals and objectives, but it isn't fair to create unspoken expectations for your spouse and then get annoyed when they aren't followed. If you will stop assuming and start communicating, you'll become less irritated and a lot more in love with your mate.

10. Never say the word "divorce." Marriage is a covenant that is made to last until death. That may be hard to believe in a culture where divorce is commonplace, but the Word of God is very serious about the promise of vows between man and wife (Matthew 19:3-9). I've heard many couples use the word divorce as a way to threaten and control his or her spouse, such as, "If you don't stop ... I'll divorce you." But what this person may not understand is that a threat only plants seeds of fear and mistrust in your marriage. If you choose to handle conflict in this way, your spouse can become afraid that you're going to leave and find it difficult to trust you. These feelings then lead to bitterness and isolation.

Romance is more about wooing than getting what you want, and a loved spouse will love you back."

I've posted about 1, 6 and 10 in my Wedded Wednesday posts before. While I really like all of them, I think 8 and 9 stuck out to me the most. Praying together has definitely deepened the husband's and my relationship, this is something we've done since we were struggling to stay afloat when we were studying for the CPA exam together and constantly felt like we were at each other's throats. Number 9 is a big one to me, I think it's easy to go into marriage with a lot of assumptions and dreams about how it's going to be and then you wake up to the reality of what it is. You can only know so much until you've experienced it. Sometimes I don't even realize that my expectations are in fact expectations rather than reality. Any in particular that stand out to you?