A Happy New Year to all of our faithful followers. Even as
we begin a new year 2015, Grace and I want to share with you what we believe
are ten principles for success in marriage.
PRINCIPLE # 1 - Don’t lose hope even in the most difficult
times. All marriages go through different seasons, good times and some bad
times. No wonder we vow to remain committed to our spouse for better or for
worse. Now it is much easier to stick together when things are better. But when
things go south, when one spouse loses a job, there is death in the family, or
even in worst cases like one partner being unfaithful, we shouldn’t lose hope.
We should always keep hope alive. Whenever I
have conflicts with Grace, what keeps me going in our marriage is the fact that
I always have this hope that ‘tutatoboa’
no matter what. This hope is what motivates me to confront the issues and Grace
to see to it that we resolve that conflict. It is this hope that keeps us
together even when things are tough. Without hope you won’t have
the motivation to do the right things like being patient with your spouse,
forgiving them for that awful mistake, and loving them in spite of…
Even when things got so bad to the degree
of unfaithfulness by one partner, you need to believe that it is possible to
not only heal a marriage but to have an even stronger marriage on the other
side of the valley. Grace and I have had the privilege of walking with couples
who thought that their marriage was over only to help them restore their marital
hopes and dreams through our “OKOA NDOA” program. Today some of
these couples have the best of marriages that is the envy of many. Through this
journey these couples have come to believe that it’s not all that bad, that
together as a Team they can overcome their challenges and they have.
Are you about to give up on your marriage?
What areas of your marriage have you already given up on? You say he can never,
this can never happen in our marriage, or she can never … This year know that
God wants to restore your hopes and dreams even in those areas of your
relationship and marriage. Next week we look at the second principle for
successful marriage.
“The
only thing that stands between a man and his dreams is the belief that it is
possible, and the will to try.” – Rich
DeVos
