You’ve prayed and read scripture. Maybe you’ve talked to mentors in your circle of loved ones. Perhaps you’ve even studied couples that seem to have what you want: a loving, communicative, rock-solid connection. And now, you’ve decided that you’re ready to turn the corner on your relationship. Where do you go now? Do you dig in and try to keep

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8 ESV) Marriage is meant to bloom over time, again and again. When it has deep roots and is nurtured well, it becomes strong. After the honeymoon period, past the 7-year itch, and through the various phases of marital growth, you and your spouse can

There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.” ― Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol “Life is worth living as long as there’s a laugh in it.” ― Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables “I don’t trust anyone who doesn’t laugh.” ― Maya Angelou Laughter is powerful in our relationships. It’s a bridge when

How should we behave in our intimate relationships? Should we hold tight or hold back? Should we press toward each other or press for increasing independence? It’s tough to know. Especially when the negativity of certain relationship buzzwords like “dependency” warns us off seeming too clingy, feeling too needy, or becoming too vulnerable. If

Husbands and wives were made to connect intimately. When the commitment is made, and the vows are spoken, we are Biblically encouraged to embrace our partners in complete oneness. Of course, as time goes by and our responsibilities multiply, such intimacy may be difficult to maintain. In fact, lapses in loving closeness and connection may become

If you and your partner have been together a while, you may be experiencing what so many couples experience. Some call it the state of “here we go again.” Some call it the sense of being “stuck” in a cycle of discord and disagreement. Others call it the crazy cycle. Whatever you choose to call it, when you are in a long-term relationship, you

Love is a good thing. A blessing. A beautiful gift that keeps on giving. And when we are on the receiving end of romantic love, our hopes and prayers for companionship, family, and “until death do us part” seem to be right on track. And then, inevitably, somehow, we get off track and head our own way. Oh, we don’t mean to. But despite our best

Arguments happen. Despite what you’ve read, “happily ever after” is not the goal. And that’s a good thing. It puts too much pressure on our happy relationships to be perfectly in sync all the time. The longer we live and grow together, the more we tend to accept that discord and disagreements are part of our relationship “ever after.” And that’s

During the holidays, you promised yourselves you would not fight about them this year. But as the credit card swipes increase, it starts to grate on your nerves by mid-November, and the pile of receipts for things no one will remember by mid-February is like kindling to the burning irritation that comes with watching your budget go up in smoke

To be betrayed by your spouse or partner is excruciating. There is no reason to pretend otherwise. If you are currently in this kind of pain, please don’t feel you have to deny it or “get over it.” You are well within your rights to hurt, to feel it deeply, and to cry out to God for comfort. The vows you took were binding. They knit your hearts