Marital Contentment

For the sake of Christ, then, I am content.

2 Corinthians 12:10

Marriage is beautiful and tough all at the same time. There is the beauty of becoming one in spiritual, emotional, and physical unity. Yet there’s also the daily acceptance of each other’s weaknesses and faults. If too much attention is focused on your spouse’s downfalls, a seed of discontentment can be planted in your heart, leading to many problems in the future. How does a spouse keep marital contentment alive?

1) Recognize that neither your spouse nor you is perfect (Romans 3:23). Sometimes we can get so caught up in looking at the splinter in our spouse’s eye that we neglect the log that is in ours. We can give our spouses grace as we are given grace for our faults.

2) Reject the temptation to give up on your marriage because of their faults (1 Corinthians 10:13). A marital covenant before the Lord is meant for a lifetime. We can resist the taunts of the enemy to lead us to entertaining thoughts of separation.

3) Receive your spouse as a fellow believer in the Lord (1 Corinthians 3:9). Sometimes we can be much harder on our spouse than we are to other people. We must keep in mind that our spouse is still part of the body of Christ and deserves the same love and respect.

4) Respect your spouse’s role in the marriage, even if he or she isn’t living up to it (Ephesians 5:21). God has ordained certain roles in marriage in accordance to His will. As spouses, we can still walk in obedience to respect the roles, fulfill our roles as to the Lord, and trust God for the strength to do so.

5) Renew your covenant commitment to the Lord when you are distressed (Malachi 2:14). In times of marital difficulty, we can recommit to the Lord our intentions to remain true to the covenant. When we turn to Him, He will renew our resolve to remain steadfast.

6) Return to your first loving thoughts towards your spouse (Song of Solomon 2:4). Discontentment begins in the mind and can be rooted out with an attitude of thankfulness. The Lord longs to bless our marriages as we continue to keep our hearts and minds pure with His word.