Recently, my wife and I struck up a conversation with two elderly couples after a church gathering. One of the couples had been married for 58 years, and the other couple had been married for 63 years.
When it came to marriage, these two couples were successful.
I was fascinated that these two couples had remained faithful to each other after so many years. (They had been married more than 2x as long as I’ve been alive!) One of the couples had endured a serious gambling addiction one spouse had, and the other couple had remained faithful despite one spouse’s poor health. Both couples possessed a strong, committed love that only time can produce. As the six of us all talked, I observed a deep appreciation, commitment, gratitude, and love each couple had for their spouse.
It’s a success few can boast of.
Curious and fascinated by their successful marriages, I asked both couples, “What would you say is the key to having a long, successful marriage? What advice would you give my wife and I, who have just begun this marriage journey?”
“When I got married, I made a commitment before God. And since I made this commitment, I am going to keep it.”, one of the men told us. “Also, if both of you trust in the Lord with all of your heart, you will be able to work through any problems you have.”
The other couple told us, “Forgiveness, not arguing with each other, and ignoring the devil pissing in your ear – he’s just trying to tell you all sorts of lies.”
Pretty good advice. In summary,
- Honor & obey the commitment you made (before God) to your spouse.
- You can work through any problem your marriage encounters if you both trust in the Lord with your whole heart.
- Forgive each other.
- Don’t argue.
- Ignore the devil telling you lies (aka, the one ‘pissing in your ear’.)
60 years from now, I hope my wife and I will be able to look back and share similar advice with those just starting their marriage journey.
Have you been married for a long-time? What’s helped your marriage persevere all these years? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
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Roman,
I absolutely loved this blog post. Marriage can be very challenging at times. It’s our selfish nature that makes it hard. After being married for 25 years, I would say I have learned is that Jesus has to be in the center of our individual hearts and in the center of our marriage.
Philippians 2:3-5 is our marriage verse:
“Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. 5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.”
When we can both be obedient to these commandments from the Lord, our marriage can remain strong and healthy.
You’re a gifted writer. Keep writing. :)
Thanks for sharing! Solid input and great verse. Appreciate your kind words, too!
Roman is really a talented and sophisticated writer. I love all his posts, never missed one for once
Appreciate it, Emmanuel!
Hey Roman! Love this post, I am getting married this summer and I love asking people what makes a successful marriage. Those points pop up a lot when hearing from successful marriages.