Wow, I can’t believe that I have been married for over 17 years now. Like I’m a whole wife with a whole husband for 17 whole years. There are times when I sit back and just can’t believe that I’m married and that we’ve been able to make it work. The key word from that sentence is WORK. It takes work to make it work and let me tell you it’s so worth it. Let’s take a step back.
I get asked often, “what are some tips for making a relationship last?” You’ll be surprised how many messages and emails I receive from people asking for prayer and/or suggestions regarding marriage. My husband and I met years before we even started dating. We started to become really good friends and thus started the road to a beautiful relationship.
Which leads to my first tip, relationships work best when they are built on friendships. Before we even started dating, we grew as friends. I remember us talking on the phone daily after I would get off work. It was my “on the way home” daily convo where we’d talk about everything. Back then, texting wasn’t as big of a deal as it is now. We could easily stay on the phone for over an hour discussing church, food, hobbies and all kinds of things. Little did we know, God was setting us up for something great.
Fast forward a few years, my next tip is be honest and transparent with one another. We were in the process of getting our first home. I remember we were gathering our statements to work with the lender for mortgage loan approval. I was so nervous. What my husband didn’t know is that I had A LOT of credit card debt. My husband felt as though I had been dishonest about my financial situation. It was in that moment that we decided I needed help developing a plan towards being debt free. He’s GREAT with budgeting and finances. Our marriage grew even stronger once we made a commitment to be transparent and honest about everything.
I think I’ll share one more tip with you and that’s date one another and HAVE FUN! I know that seems simple right. My husband and I still date each other even after all these years, we have our date nights. We get dressed up and go out to just enjoy one another’s company. No news, no work, no distractions, it’s all about us living in the moment of being together. I like to say, make the investment into your relationship and you will reap the benefits of your investment. Often times we can get so caught up with everything around us, we forget to just enjoy each other.
Those are just a few tips that I hope are helpful. The key is really about putting in the work to make it work and you too can have a long lasting, loving relationship.
xoxo
sumetra
@sumetrareed
