Building Strong Marriages

How do you build a strong marriage relationship?  One of the most significant and pervasive qualities of a strong marriage is that the partners continually express appreciation for one another.  How long has it been since you wrote a love letter?  Husbands and wives need to freely express their sentiments of love and appreciation for one another.  We are missing one of the greatest areas of emotional sensitivity if we are failing to express to out mates how much we love them. 

Strong marriages build one another up and make their partners feel good about themselves.  The wise man Solomon said, “That which maketh a man to be desired is his kindness” (Proverbs 19:22).  Both husband and wife need to cultivate the art of saying, “I love you.” Be careful with your criticism of your mate.  Constructive criticism can be valuable, but be careful of your timing and your tone.  The negative effect of a critical spirit is enormous.  Out of it flows all sorts of problems.  Appreciation needs to be expressed for a relationship to grow.  No matter how long you have been married, any couple needs to continue to demonstrate their love one for another.  We all need to be appreciated, especially by those whom we love.

Communication is as necessary to the family relationship as blood is to the body.  Every family relationship will have squabbles and disagreements, yet we must be able to work through these issues, if our relationship is to remain strong and healthy.  The difference between healthy families and failing families is not the presence or absence of conflict, but the way in which the conflict is handled.  We must talk to each other and learn to discuss our conflicts. 

What are some marks of healthy family communication?

1)      Good Listeners

2)      Speak the Truth in Love

3)      Have free expression of feelings

4)      Recognize and accept individual differences

5)      Know how to resolve conflict.

Strong families have the ability to deal with crisis and major problems in a positive way.  In the darkest of times, they see hope and pull together, where weaker families would have fragmented under the pressure.

A home may be wonderful in all other aspects, but something is lacking unless Christianity is the center of the home.  The potential for satisfying relationships is far greater among Christian families than among those who do not share a faith in God and his word.  The Christian will be committed to the institution of marriage and the home because it was ordained by God for the happiness of man.  The Christian will also strive to fulfill his God-given duty as a member of a family. 

A strong religious conviction produces a sense of purpose and meaning to life upon this earth.  The Christian understands that our purpose here is to respect God as our creator and obey his will in preparation for eternity.  The result is a clearly defined lifestyle that flows through all family relationships.  The home should be a place where Christianity is practiced.  The Christian virtues of patience, forgiveness, and the handling of anger contribute to a better family atmosphere because of the common spiritual commitment.  Two individuals who have been taught the will of God, and who are determined to follow his teachings in love, can build a beautiful home that will be a joy to all who behold it.