Blessed
Essential Elements to a Healthy and Happy Relationship
For my husband and I, the truth behind our love can be found in our faith and love for Christ. This faith and love for our creator has grown tremendously over the past decade and allows us to deeply love one another.
The intangible elements that make our relationship so magical exist because we have learned how to actively love one another, respect one another and provide a safe and nurturing environment for each other.
BUT, as we are human and deeply flawed, many times during our relationship journey, we have seen the other end of the spectrum, hitting rock bottom multiple times. During these moments of stress and disagreement we felt tired, drained and defeated.
It was not until we decided to put Christ FIRST in our own personal lives, with prayer, proper counseling, determination, and the hands of God working on us individually, have we managed to love each other deeply for almost a decade.
By no means, I am not an expert on relationships, but I do know what has worked for my husband and I, as we continue to create a healthy and thriving marriage.
5 Steps to a Happy & Healthy Relationship
- Love God. If you can love Christ, you can learn to truly and deeply love others.
- Learn how to communicate effectively. How you say things to you partner matters just as much as what you say to your partner. Learn their love languages!
- Respect your partner. This is a key ingredient for a healthy relationship. Disrespect of any form will yield disaster.
- Forgive, forgive, forgive, and forgive again.
- Know your personnel! My husband is a Defensive Back in the NFL, and many times he has said this phrase in our marriage. In the game of American football, a successful secondary has to play well together and know the tendencies and characteristics of their personnel. When he started saying "know your personnel" at home, I was initially confused. Then one day, probably after a pointless argument, I realized that in this game called life, my husband and I are on the same team. In order for us to win this game, we must play each other's strengths and complement each other during any moment of weakness. When you realize your spouse's strengths, nurture them, and be patient with them during their weakness, you both will LEARN how you can pick up the slack in the relationship and grow stronger TOGETHER.
Beautiful Photo by Lavish Moments Photography
