Do you have an ordinary marriage? Or an extraordinary marriage?
What’s the difference between the two?
Just a bit extra… for an extraordinary marriage.
We can all have an extraordinary marriage – really!
It just takes a bit of extra:
HOPE
There’s an extra dose of HOPE in an extraordinary marriage.
An extraordinary marriage has a hope for the future, with some extra vision planning and goal setting to get there! You planned your wedding day, right? An extraordinary marriage needs some planning too!
FAITH
Faith in God. There’s a heaping helping of faith included in an extraordinary marriage.
Believing that the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth has all things in His control and you and your spouse are not alone in your marriage. God is part of the equation of an extraordinary marriage.
Consider: If you grow deeper in Christ as an individual, it will also impact your spouse.
LOVE
Come on, now. You know this!
From ETSY – Lucky Tusk
Love is not rocket science and, contrary to popular opinion, it’s not a feeling. To LOVE is a decision.
Just look at all the decisions possible to make from 1Corinthians 13: patience, kindness, generousness (no envy), humbleness (no boasting or pride or self-seeking), courteous, protection, trusting, truthfulness and more!
PRAYER
An extraordinary marriage has purposeful prayer.
Prayer isn’t hit or miss – rather, you and your spouse have a shared prayer experience in your extraordinary marriage. You pray together. You pray for each other. Your prayer life will make a difference in more than your own lives.
- Do you need help beginning to pray together? Read this.
- Need ways to remind you to pray? HERE are 23 ideas – one of them will work!
- What about a free app for your smartphone? Here’s the one Rob and I use.
- Want ideas on what to pray for when you pray for each other? We recommend this book for wives and this book for husbands. I guarantee you haven’t thought about all of these ideas.
- Your prayer experience is about more than the two of you – and your family. Here’s something to think about.
An extraordinary marriage grows stronger and closer when a husband and wife pray together. Rob and I have been experiencing this growth. It’s never too early to begin to pray together, or too late to rejuvenate your activity of praying together. Begin now.
ACTION
What needs to happen in your marriage relationship – today – that will make a difference?
An extraordinary marriage needs action. Thinking, talking and planning are good, but until a husband and wife take action, there’s nothing to build on. This action to build an extraordinary marriage isn’t usually about the big gestures. It’s small, consistent actions over time to address the “growth opportunities” in your marriage.
Do you need to reach out to :
- find freedom by forgiving. There’s a free ebook on this site that is quite insightful.
- learn to apologize. Read this to find out what Rob and I experienced when we did an assessment.
- touch each other. Yes, I’m talking about sex. Listen to this podcast by Christian wives. Some physical, emotional and mental issues in intimacy take time to address. The ladies on this podcast write about low libido, sexual healing, and many more needs found in a marriage relationship. You’ll find links to their sites to hone in on the action needed for your marriage. Another resource we recommend is The Marriage Bed.
- clean up some messes. Get organized. Just remember that neatness is not about control. It takes baby steps to clean up and become organized. This lady’s ideas made a difference in our lives.
- have positive financial habits. Rob and I will be going through this program this year.
- understand your spouse’s Love Language. (There are five.) Use this free online tool to understand. The quiz takes just moments, but the practical application of the ideas will impact everyone around you.
- develop deeper communication – use questions to know each other – here are some resources.
- fun – are you feeling like your relationship is just about work or duty? Want to have more fun together? Reflect a bit using this resource. and/or Try these ideas.
What action needs to happen in your marriage to go from ordinary – to extraordinary?
Extraordinary doesn’t just happen.
“Poof”
Now you have an extraordinary marriage.
Nope – it doesn’t happen that way.
(You know this!)
Going from ordinary to more than ordinary is not a destination with an X on the map.
(Choose just one of these extra ingredients. Focus on it for a little bit. You don’t have to do it all right now!)
Extraordinary looks different in every season of marriage.
When you’re in the season of little children running around, an extraordinary marriage looks very different from an open-nest marriage!
Regardless of the season… these five ingredients are a part of an extraordinary marriage!
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