Did you know that the average marriage in the U.S. lasts seven to eight years?
A leading reason men and women cite for divorcing their spouse is “falling out of love.” For whatever reason, spouses tend to feel “infatuated” with each other for seven years. Many people give up and figure their relationship isn’t worth maintaining after their surge of honeymoon love diminishes.
But the truth is, marriages go through seasons (just like life in general). Times of financial difficulty, employment changes, family troubles, or the addition or loss of children are often times of struggle for married couples. There are a hundred reasons why men and women will experience personal issues that affect how they convey affection to each other.
Whether you’ve been married for one year or thirty years, you will not always feel completely in love with your spouse.
It’s natural, normal, and healthy to want to feel in love with your spouse. You definitely shouldn’t get married if you’re not! But marriage isn’t made up completely of feelings, or of the typical idea of love.
Instead, marriage consists of self-sacrificing love. It means willing the good of your spouse. Marriage is laying down your life for your friend.
The good times and the bad will come and go. For every difficult season of life that brings temptations to falter in your fidelity, you will have wonderful times in which your life for each other thrives. Whatever you’re going through, it will pass. It will be okay.
Many people make new year’s resolutions. Most people break them by February. You should look at every year as an opportunity for change and for growth. Because every year will bring its own new challenges to face together as a couple.
So, as we head into 2023, I pray we can all take this year to strive for renewal in our personal spiritual lives, and in our commitments to holy, healthy, and happy marriages!
Happy New Year, everyone!