What role does hope play in your marriage? Do you talk about the future with your wife or husband?
Some couples have many decades logged in their marriage journey – and they’re planning and hoping for more. Others may be at the beginning of their marriages, and their struggles and triumphs are spread out in front of them, yet to be experienced.
Where are you?
In those beginning years?
A decade or two?
Five or more decades of marriage?
At whatever stage – let your hope expand!
You know, encouragement for the future is more than words – but sometimes words are where hopeful encouragement starts… Let hope for a strong future expand – as a husband and wife together…
Where to begin? Just talk about your future together in an optimistic way. Say to your spouse,
“We have a good future together.”
Say it. Out loud.
I dare you…
Say, “We have a good future together.”
Because you do – You do have a good future together as husband and wife.
I don’t know what your future (or mine) looks like – only God does… But He didn’t put the two of you together to be miserable.
Yes, the circumstances in your life together might not be going the way you envisioned. You might not be getting what you expected. Sure. It’s devastating to be struggling with health challenges, or financial crisis, or emotional tornadoes. I get it. These hurdles hit us all – at the beginning of our marriages, all through the middles and even after multiple decades of marriage.
We live in a sin-filled world and that decaying, oozing, society scrapes past our beautiful marriages with wrenching regularity. Sometimes it takes the gorgeous shiny paint off of the outside of our marriage relationship, leaving dents and gouges. Sometimes sin corrodes our marriage hulls and penetrates to mangle what is good, till we forget what it first looked like when our life together was fine and newly made.
But there’s still reason to hope for a good future.
There is. Really.
—– Why?
Here’s the Big Picture:
God loves you.
He loves your spouse, too.
And He can make all things new.
I know God loves all of us… with a love like there has never been before, nor ever will be again…
The Practical
Begin talking about the future by reminiscing about the past.
Ask some questions – if you can’t think of what to ask, then try our short ebook,
29 Reminiscing and Reflecting Questions for Husbands and Wives.
Throughout the reminiscing and reflecting notice 3 things:
- What has God done in your life that was for your good?
- Who have you surrounded yourself with when things were going well?
- What have you learned?
Hope comes from focusing on the positive. And we all have something positive in our lives.
- surround yourself (and your spouse) with hope filled scripture
- get together with people who will encourage you
- read articles and books which will build up your spirit
- hug, kiss, cuddle – touch is a powerful mood lifter (get that oxytocin flowing)
- and listen to music that will remind you how much God loves you, and is creating a good future for you!
I’m enjoying these praise & worship pieces…
Love Like No Other – affiliate link – available on Amazon
Inspire with HOPE!
Encourage your spouse by how you look at the future!
To see the posts in this series – click HERE – there’s also a video!
thankful to link with
Christian Mommy Blogger – Faith and Fellowship Bloghop – TGI Saturdays – Reflect – Sharing His Beauty – Small Wonder
Receive notes of encouragement - ideas to strengthen your marriage and enrich your life.
I have been married for almost 32 years. My husband and I have used many of the strategies that you have talked about! It is a joy to have a strong marriage but it does take work. Stopping by from Reflect.
You’re so right, Jann – a strong marriage takes work, and it is a joy! 🙂
We’re 19 years in to this marriage thing and this is the year of laying low, bowing before God, believing for His grace. Thank you for the suggestions you offer here and the reminder to stay hopeful. Today – I needed to hear it.
I’m thankful you stopped in, Lisha. God is kind. Always. Sometimes it just takes a bit of time to recognize His Hand, and to see the direction to come… Praying your hope is kindled into a flame, and then a blaze…
We are in the aftermath of a dream come true, which sounds like a negative way to put it, but it’s true – even dreams come true take energy. We’re still recovering! This makes me realize we’ve kinda stopped looking to the future and gotten bogged down in the now. Thanks for the reminder to stay open to new dreams and welcome to #SmallWonder.
Ah – I rejoice with you at the realization of your dream! (we just finished a year’s travel, which was a dream – so now it’s time to revisit our planning time, also.)
I love the insights you share in this post.
I confess, I never thought about equating “talk of hope for the future with my husband”. I have been married 32 years and at this stage of the game, we talk mostly about the hear and now. Not because we don’t want to talk about the future, it just isn’t something we have done.
You have spurred me on to think and talk in those terms because ultimately all hope is wrapped up in Jesus and that brings healing and joy to any situation. 🙂
I can relate, Karen, with being rooted in the here and now – ’cause we’re at 31 years! Thanks for stopping in and sharing – I’m thankful you were inspired. It is SO true – Jesus is the author of all hope.
I just love the thought of giving hope for my marriage room to EXPAND! This was refreshing! Found you through Julie’s blog / Christian Mommy Blogger.