What are some keys to having a successful marriage:
According to researchers having surveyed over three hundred married couples who had been married for fifteen years or more, one of the most frequently mentioned keys to finding happiness in marriage is having a generally happy attitude toward one’s spouse and viewing that spouse as one of their best friends.
The second key found in that marital survey was the belief in the importance of commitment.
Also high on the list of bringing happiness into the marriage was:
- Having agreed upon visions or goals in life
- A desire to make their marriage succeed
- Sharing genuine times of laughter
Marriage is one of the first topics discussed in the Bible. It is mentioned throughout the Bible and considered in depth in the New Testament. What does it say about marital problems and how to help troubled marriages? Almost nothing.
It does speak to marital tension within the life stories of Lot, Abraham, Jacob, Job, Samson, David, and a few others on occasion. Marital conflict is often a symptom of something much deeper such as:
- A lack of love
- An unwillingness to forgive self and/or one another
- Anger
- Bitterness
- Communication problems
- Anxiety
- Sexual abuse
- Drunkenness
- Feelings of inferiority
- Sin
- A deliberate rejection of God’s will for individuals
In submission to God, from a position of strength rather than weakness, is a choice to act on faith. It is the act of choosing to trust God to work His will through your independent walk with Him in reflecting His design for marriage, in establishing your home, and in submission to allow God to work in all the areas of your lives together, fully yielded to His authorities in marriage and family:
….. the authorities that have been established by God – Romans 13:1