Marriage is absolutely wonderful. It’s also incredibly hard. No matter how much you love your spouse, there will be rough patches—moments that you are struggling to survive. It’s inevitable. Any couple that tells you things are always rosy either hasn’t been married very long, or they are lying. Is Your Marriage Struggling Because You Won’t Let Go? Struggling to hold … [Read more...]
4 Reasons Why Your Christian Husband Wants to Be Single Again
Not every Christian home is filled with a loving happy couple. As wonderful as you are, and as much as you do for your family, your Christian husband might not be happy and you don’t even know it. Yes, he loves you. But there’s something about the way you manage the household affairs that has him wishing he was living the single life again. 4 Reasons Why Your Christian Husband … [Read more...]
Warning: 5 Things That Can Cause Resentment in Your Marriage
Resentment is such an ugly emotion and it can just creep up on you. It starts off with an offense that maybe doesn’t seem big enough to address. Often times, the offense is repeated and you either don’t say a thing, or you say something but never really get to the root of the issue. Then, one day, you wake up and realize that you resent the person who committed the offense. … [Read more...]
3 Things You Should Do When Your Spouse Ticks You Off
Has your spouse ever ticked you off? I don’t know anyone who can honestly answer “no” to that question. We are all human and being angry (or getting someone else angry) is about as normal as it gets. It’s part of the human experience. But, as you probably know, the people you love most have the greatest capacity to get under your skin. And nothing can make your skin crawl as … [Read more...]
3 Things Your Real Friends Want For Your Marriage that Your So-Called Friends Don’t
There is one thing all my friends have in common. They all want to see me win in life and they especially want to see me win in my marriage. They are rooting for my family. And they want this thing I have to last for a lifetime. Their desire to see my marriage last has nothing to do with how they feel about my husband either. Sure, some of them have known him for as long as … [Read more...]
Single Ladies, Stop Believing Everything You Hear on Your News Feed About Men
Two weeks ago, I celebrated my eight wedding anniversary. I can’t believe it’s already been eight years. Moreover, I can’t believe I have known my husband for more than 20 years. It’s been an amazing ride. So how have these eight years of marriage been? They’ve been pretty good. We’ve had our ups and downs, but that’s to be expected. We made it through the downs together and … [Read more...]
4 Simple Mistakes That Can Destroy Your Marriage
I know several happily married couples, but I have yet to meet the perfect couple. That’s because they don’t exist. Even the happiest couples have stuff to deal with. And while some problems may be rather harmless, some things can really damage a great relationship. I have a great marriage, but we’ve had our share of problems. But in each instance, one of us owned what went … [Read more...]
3 Reasons Why You Need to Stop Blaming Your Partner for Your Unhappiness
Are you unhappy? Are you living a life that just isn’t what you expected? Do you feel like things shouldn’t be the way they are and you are trying to figure out why? This happens to so many of us. You start down a path, expecting one thing, only to find what you expected just isn’t there. It’s disappointing at best, devastating at worse. And when we find ourselves … [Read more...]
Unhappy in Your Marriage?10 Questions to Figure Out If Your Marriage Is Really the Problem
Life is hard for all of us. Some days are easier than others, but we all face challenges in our lives. Some challenges aren’t that difficult to navigate while others can knock us all the way down. One thing that can make challenges difficult to manage is trying to determine the root of the problem. Sometimes we blame one thing in our lives for the pain and frustration we are … [Read more...]
3 Super Fun Steps to Renew Your Marriage That You’ll Both Enjoy
We all know what happens when we fail to take care of something we love. It begins to change—no longer fresh or as strong as it once was. Whether it’s your hair, your body, your home or your marriage, failing to care for what matters most has negative consequences. And the lack of care doesn’t just happen overnight, nor is it always intentional. It’s something that builds up … [Read more...]
3 Major Reasons to Forgive Your Spouse (No Matter What)
Should you always forgive your spouse? I think you should. Even if something awful happened—infidelity, a serious betrayal or a hurtful mistake—you should forgive. Crazy idea? Maybe. But it’s the best idea. Is it easy to do? Not by a long shot. Forgiveness is rarely easy. It may be one of the toughest things you ever have to do during your marriage. You see, when we get … [Read more...]
Help…My Mom is Just Plain Rude to My Husband. What Should I Do?
Dear Dr. Buckingham, I've been married for four years now. Both my husband and I have been in and out of work, and as a result we lost our home. We moved in with my single, elderly mother. I eventually got a job and my mother told my husband he had to get a job soon or leave her home. Unfortunately, he did not find a job and now resides with his mother. His family has never … [Read more...]
It’s Not a FairyTale: 9 Ways to Create “Happily Ever After” in Your Marriage
Happily ever after. That’s the dream, right? We get married with the hopes that what we have will last forever. And let’s not kid ourselves—forever is a really, really long time. But we date and eventually make a decision to share this one life we have with a partner whom we believe is worthy. Yet, despite our best intentions, wanting to be married forever isn’t enough. If … [Read more...]
5 Simple Reasons Why Your Wife Might Be Pulling Away
You love your wife. There is no question in your mind that you made the right choice. She is the love of your life. But lately, things just haven’t been the same. She seems irritable and distant. You don’t think she’s cheating on you because nothing indicates anything that severe, plus you honestly don’t think she would ever do that. But still, you know something is … [Read more...]
3 Reasons Why You Need to Stop Keeping Score in Your Marriage
Do you keep score? You know, keep track of all the awesome things you do in your relationship and all the things your spouse doesn’t do. It’s okay. I am not judging. No one wants to admit it, but keeping score is pretty common. The best of us do it. When you feel like you are the one always doing something, like feeding the dog or cooking dinner, you can start keeping score … [Read more...]