Some people love taking online quizzes so they can discover something about themselves. As you read about the four signs of a strong marriage, you can rate the health of your current relationship. If you’re doing even one of these things already, bravo. If you’re doing three or four of them, you’re probably in a pretty healthy place.
If you still need to learn to walk out some of them, then let this article be an encouragement to help you figure out what you need to work on to create a stronger marriage. Here are four signs you have a good marriage.
1. You value the relationship over being right.
This means you have learned to forgive quickly. This also means that when you feel the other person is wrong and you’re right, you are willing to take the humble road and do whatever it takes to come back into unity and connection. It shows you value the relationship. Sometimes this might mean you apologize first, even if you feel you aren’t at fault. This will model humility and forgiveness to your partner, and most of the time, he will respond in kind.
2. In marriage, the point of communication is to understand each other, not to agree with each other.
Ask yourself “Am I seeking to agree with you or am I seeking to understand you?” In a healthy relationship, you don’t automatically assume there’s a problem or feel like something is wrong in your relationship if your partner doesn’t agree with you. Try to be a better listener– and make understanding him your goal, rather than trying to get him to agree with you. Here are some more insightful tips for better communication.
3. You have an open dialogue about what you each need.
And you are both willing to work to meet each other’s needs. This also means that you spend enough quality time together.
4. You don’t try to control each other.
This is a big one. It’s easy to want to control things when your every decision directly affects one another. But it’s crucial that you give each other freedom to be yourselves, even and especially when that means you’re different from one another. Even though these differences might feel threatening, in reality you make a much stronger team together, because you have different strengths and weaknesses, instead of the same ones.
Readers, what other signs can you think of that show a good marriage?
Cassandra Soars has published various national magazine articles on a wide range of topics, including life in Mozambique, Africa, where she lived for five years. Her first book Love Like Fire: The Story of Heidi Baker is available on Amazon.
