50 Years

We attended a 50th anniversary party this weekend. It got me to thinking about that lifelong commitment that we make when we are young and "so in love". I doubt many of us really understand the true depth of the vows we are making on our wedding day. By that I mean in reality we have no clue what that commitment will demand of us over the long haul. I love being married and I really really love my hubby, but there are moments in every marriage where we may not always "like" each other. We may even question our sanity in thinking we could live with only one person our entire life.
Marriage goes beyond the "I DO" It takes an act of our will every day to make a marriage work. When our friends were asked their secrets of making it 50 yrs their answer was not short and to the point, it was many things. The following things are some things they shared, some are things I have learned in my 27 yrs of marriage. First and most important put God first in your marriage.
1. Affirm your spouse daily, build him up.
2. Love and accept your spouse just as God made them
3. Love even when you do not feel like it
4. Pray Together
5. Never let divorce be an option
6. Take time to just be a couple
7. Forgive
8. Bring a sense of humor to your marriage
9. Do something special for him just because
10. Always bring lots of laughter into your home

There are so many other things to build a wonderful marriage. I'm sure you can think of many. The hard part is just putting them into practice. So go this day and do one of them. May we be well on our way to 50 years too.