How to Strengthen Your Marriage
by Pastor Jeffrey Smith
Live together in harmony, live together in love, as though you had only one mind and one spirit between you. Philippians 2:2 (PHILLIPS)
There are a lot of ways to change the world but I think one of the most significant is to reach families. Strong families build strong cultures and eventually influence the world. We place a lot of importance on having a healthy family because we realize that relationship affects almost every other area of life. For the next few weeks, it’s my prayer you’re encouraged by these words to make an even greater effort to see the will of God unfolding in your family.
Every strong family is first built on a strong marriage. Marriage is the foundation of the family and in turn, the foundation of culture. The commitment between a man and a woman to love one another is incredibly spiritual and has profound impact. Great marriages are comprised of a lot of elements but unity is the defining factor.
This passage in Philippians highlights that unity is the product of one mind and one spirit between people. There is perhaps no better display of true unity than in the context of marriage. Unfortunately, discord and division are more often the norm in marriage than unity. God designed a husband and wife to share one mind and one spirit and if our marriages don’t reflect that, we must take responsibility for it. Great marriages don’t just happen; they’re the result of effort and intention.
One of the first dynamics of a healthy marriage is communication. If we cannot dialogue our conflicts, we will never be able to resolve them. If we desire a healthy and thriving marriage, we must put forth a great amount of effort to connect and communicate with our spouse.
One of the main problems with communication is that we think differently from one another and that makes it difficult to connect. Communication only works, however, when it’s given great effort. It’s worth it to overcome our difference and build unity. Working toward true communication is a serious task but it can transform any marriage.
All marriages have conflict, but compromise and communication is what allows us to overcome. And work toward unity. Being of one mind and one spirit with one another is the key to strong marriage.
