Our son got married last weekend.
The occasion had me thinking a lot about the best advice I could give to him and his new bride and I came across these five pieces of advice in a great post* by Oak Ridge Baptist Church in Spring, Texas. I realized as I read these that they apply equally well to relationships in general...
Five pieces of advice that bring genuine joy and fulfillment
1. Give Each Other Unconditional Grace
This, more than anything else will be the one habit that holds you together.
Your partner will not always be at their best. When it’s time to forgive, do it unconditionally and build a cycle of trust and safety.
2. Keep Your Vows and Promises.
Marriages are built on love, but they survive on trust.
3. Get Rid of “Me vs. You” – replace it with “We”
Make a conscious decision to change the way you think about your identities. Rather than two people, you’re one team.
4. Be Patient with each other (Ephesians 4:2)
I love the way this reads in the New English version: “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, putting up with one another in love,”
5. Love each other the way God Loves You
His love is unconditional.
His love never gives up on us.
His love accepts us as we are and inspires us to be better.
These few pieces of advice just might be the best gift ever given.