Happy spouses!

[LN]

At the request of a previous poster - let's hear it for happy spouses!



Maybe we could all say what makes us happy in the relationship and why we feel it has been successful thus far.

I'll start

My husband and I are constantly concerned with meeting each other's emotional needs. We read "the five love languages" and that gave us great insight into what was important to the other person.

 

[FervidPrincess]

My husband and I have a great marriage because we give God credit for being there in our relationship, we spend every moment we can together(in a non smothering sort of way), we appreciate the other for the thoughtful things and look over the small things, we enjoy our intimate times, we talk about everything, we keep no secrets, we show and tell our love every day, we snuggle, we discuss what is going on in each others lives, we talk about goals and future plans...there are many more things that we do that make our marriage a strong one but the most important thing is that we are happy doing it with each other. I cant imagine my life without him ...through my husband is one of the ways I see how strong God's love for us (all of God's children) is...because my husband loves me unconditionally.

Thats my story.

 

[Yitzchak]

My wife and I are happy because we both make it a priority to keep our hearts soft towards the Lord and towards eachother.

We put the Lord first in our home and try to make everything as mutual as possible. We consider that who we are as a couple is just as important as who we are as individuals. When we married , a new "person" (the two become one flesh) was created with it's own calling and purpose. We focus not just on ourselves as individuals but on "us" as a couple. There are things that "we" can do as a couple that far surpass double of anything the two of us could do individually. The prime example of this being having children. Try doing that one alone. No amount of prayer and fasting will cause a virgin(or a man) to be with child. Bottomline, we feel called together for a purpose/purposes. Our marriage is notin competition for our individual wants and resources. It is the fulfillment of our calling in life. To be with our soulmate and fulfill God's purpose's as a couple. The sacrifices that we make at times are not distractions or inconviences from our main purpose. They are investments in our main purpose.
We are best friends. We are tender with eachother and enjoy eachother's company.

 

[Flipper]

We are bestest buddies!

 

[sioleabha]

I posted in the other thread, but let me take a shot at *why* we are so happy.

Honestly, I think that there is a lot of bad advice that floats around (evidenced by FervidPrincess feeling that she had to clarify that she and her husband spend time together in a "non smothering sort of way.") Frankly, any advice I get about marriage that is not supported by the Bible goes in one ear and out the other.

The Bible says that we are to be as one, yet I hear people talk about having seperate bank accounts, keeping secrets, and spending their free time apart. As far as I am concerned, it is not possible to seperate a husband and wife this way without destroying the marriage. So I don't even attempt it.

The Bible also calls on us wives to submit to our husbands as the church submits to Christ, and calls on our husbands to love us as Christ loves the church. This does not fit in well with some ideas of marriage, but for me it's the only option.

In a nutshell, I keep my marriage together by ignoring the advice of the world and concentrating on the advice of God. Works for me.

 

[PegasusOnFire]

Though my husband and I have only been married two weeks, I love him with all my heart and he is the same. We are eachothers bestfriend.

 

[Mrs K 2004]

I am not yet married, but I thought I'd post anyway!

My future husband and I are best friends! I could not ask for a better relationship! God provided me with that one person who was the missing peice to my puzzle!! (He used puzzle peices in our proposal!)

 

[TCapp]

I love my hubby! He's wonderful.

 

[seebs]

Happily married for nearly nine years. We don't spend every moment we can together; we both work at home, so we'd get in the way. We do spend a lot of time together. We share hobbies, we help each other on projects... It's just generally good.

 

[E-beth]

My hubby Iddie4him and I complement each other. Where I am lacking, he is strong. When either of us has a need, the other will try hard to fix it. We accept each others imperfections and learn from each other.

He is also sooo dedicated to his family and gives us everything he has. He is a good dad, a great hubby, and a good cook.

 

[JohnStevenson]

My wife and I recently celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary. We continue to be fest friends, lovers, and partners in play as well as encouragers in all things spiritual, emotional and physical.

There are a couple of foundational principles:

(1) We are committed to making our marriage work. We really haven't had any difficult times in doing this. But I still think it helps if you determine at the outset that your marriage is going to work, no matter what.

(2) We are committed to serving the Lord. Our love for Him spills over into our love for one another.

(3) We are best friends. We enjoy doing the same sort of things.

(4) We take time out for romance. We went to the movies the other day and got in early and there was only some background music. So I danced with my bride in the aisle of the theatre. Silly? Perhaps, but it also set the stage for a wonderful outing.

 

[Mr.Cheese]

Flipper beat me to it.
Holly is my buddy. She's my special person.

 

[Iddie4him]

Really now E-Beth.......I may be a good Daddy and Husband, But I still only have 3 or 4 dishes I can cook well.

She is my support and shoulder to lean on specially when I have a problem. We do talk about things on occasion, But, Not as often as we should. I love my wife and son dearly, But, Sometimes I am not always as happy as I should be. I do have BPD and it makes things kinda hard to deal with. She is there always to help me. I appreciate that the most.

 

[chriso]

Happily married for over 20 years. We always try to keep the lines of communication open. And really listen to what the other one is saying. We have developed our interests together so we spend all of our off time together. You have to continue working to keep your marriage loving.

 

[Silent Enigma]

My wife is sweet and submissive. God has taught us what works. We've been married 7 years. And things are smoother now!

It is great to be married to her. Our personalities fit together. She thinks ours is one of the best marriages out there.

Um... cant tell you too much or I'll get in trouble!

 

[Mistyfogg]

words cannot describe the love i have for my husband. plain and simple, it is absolutely breathtaking and wonderful

 

[peterc]

my wife is just the best

 

[Kathleenb]

married 16+ years, and we have a great marriage, although it's always a work in progress.

What makes our marriage work?

God first
Each other second
Divorce is not an option
We make an effort to develop common interests, common friends
We work hard at communication and understanding each other - we have very opposite personalities, so we see things differently, which could cause problems if we let it
Together we make a great person - become one - we're so opposite, that together we make one really great person
We make big decisions together - but if I don't agree with his opinion after we've discussed it, I submit. (usually fairly graciously - still working on that submission thing...)
We have common goals and values
We make an effort to meet each other's earthly needs
We work at growing together - because if you don't, you're likely to grow apart

 

[Oblivious]

First, I'm very lucky as he is a great guy!

Here's a few of reasons things are great and we're happy: I think the key is respect, treat him/her as you want to be treated. Have common interests, and keep the relationship fresh and exciting!

Many others, most of which have already been mentioned.