In Marriage I’ve found there are a lot of “ings” you have to deal with.  First there’s the engagement ring, then the wedding ring, then the sharing and bonding.  But then eventually comes the arguing and the struggling and it all can become frustrating and disappointing.  Mix all this madness together and before you know it, you’re grow-ing together.

It has become painfully obvious to me that in any relationship, you’re either moving forward or moving backwards, there’s no third direction.  Marriage and any relationship is a team sport, and as we all have heard before, “There’s no ‘I’ in TEAM.”  This may come as a surprise to some, but conflict is a totally natural phenomenon in relationships.  So don’t feel like your issues and quarrels in your relationship aren’t normal.  We have to work together in this marriage thing to make it work or frustration and disappointment will slowly dismantle and compromise the union.

Let’s commit to be intentional about what we do to preserve our relationships.  Most people would be content to shut it down and pack their bags for the road, but we’re not “most people”.  My favorite book gives us written permission to play the marriage sport as hard as we’ve ever played any other sport in life because it’s definitely worth our best efforts to win.

Don’t be easily duped and fooled by the mirage of the greener grass on the other side and a better life flying solo.  The desert heat of marriage has been known to cause illusions, visions of grandeur and hallucinations, especially when you’re focusing on the negative things that you don’t like about that spouse of yours.  Never forget that the greener grass on the other side will also need balanced exposure to the elements of sun, soil, wind and rain in order to survive and thrive too.

Focus more on the positive’s in that partner and hang in there and play nice today.  Things can and will get better if you commit to work on the single most important element in the relationship first, which is, “YOU”.  Continue to be encouraged and make it GREAT!

www.MyCouplesCorner.com
www.CedricCrawford.com