Choose a Healthy Marriage

[NannyB.]

"...marriage is not a one-time 'I do' and then you live happily ever after. Marriage takes work, and a healthy marriage is the result of making right choices.

"We choose to serve each other. We realized how often we expected more from each other than we were willing to give. As both of us choose to serve, our marriage is blessed with joy.

"We choose to make peace. I've learned that when I'm wrong, I should quickly and genuinely admit to it, apologize and move on. Peace enters our marriage when one spouse restores balance through humility.

"We choose not to focus on changing each other. We've accepted each other's differences, and we've learned not to make major issues out of minor faults. Too often I had tried to change things about my husband, not accepting the fact that any change in his heart or attitude was the Holy Spirit's responsibility--not mine.

"We choose to place God first in our life and our marriage. God empowers us to remain dedicated to each other and to put the other's needs ahead of our own. When God is the director of our lives and our marriage, we bring honor both to Him and to each other.

"Make no mistake--marriage still takes work! For my husband and me, though, we've come to appreciate that the One who instituted marriage also holds the keys to a happy marriage. When we choose His ways, things go better.

"Because our marriage experiences are directly related to the decisions we make on a daily basis, every day we face the question afresh: Will we make right choices?"

Tammy Darling for Focus on the Family