Staying Happily Married

Staying married is easy. Staying happily married is another ball game altogether. And one that takes some effort. When you are newly-weds, married life is like an adventure with the thrill of discovering your partner every day. But as time passes, with children and added responsibilities, the romance faded away.

If you are bored of living the same monotonous routine,  it is time to infuse some freshness into the relationship:

• Go on a Date – Set aside an evening for each other.  Talk about anything except for your family, kids, bills.  Remember how the initial days of courtship were and aim to recreate that magic…
• Express your love in a tangible way by gestures, kisses and more importantly, words of affirmation! Say “I love you” and look into each other’s eyes when you do so.
• Keep in touch…literally. Touch your partner more often when out in public. Holding hands, impromptu hugs, touching face, hair, shoulder…anything. These non-sexual but comforting actions tell your partner how much you like being connected to them. Don’t shy away – let your children see and feel how much you love, care and respect each other.
• Keep surprising your partner – Stop taking your partner for granted. Surprise your partner, like writing a love note, sending flowers or a weekend getaway to some exotic location. 
• Take up a common hobby – it is never too late to learn something together as a couple so as to connect with each other in a passionate way.

Small things make all the difference to keep that spark alive. Get out of your comfort zone. Stop making excuses of lack of time and energy. Find a solution to those excuses. Your partner and your marriage are worth that effort!

Principle of Reintroduction

We change as individuals based on our experiences that day.  In order to build a growing relationship as a couple, then, we must make time to "daily reintroduce"ourselves to each other.  We share the mundane and the profound.  We disclose what's going on in our own lives and genuinely inquire about each other's life.

That was easy when we were first married with few distractions. We had lots of time for meaningful dialogues, cups of coffee and sharing activities together.  But as children came along, and with added adult responsibilites, and tight schedules, this habit had slowly gone away unnoticed.

Where is the intimacy? where is the strong relationship? What happens? We need therefore to bare our lives with each other on a regular basis and feel convinced that we are "naked and unashemed" with each other.

Daily reintroduction habit will usually take the form of a long walk, an extended cup of coffee or a long phone call.

Keep this habit and live life to the fullest.

Repentance

Feeling guilty about our sin comes before repentance, but is not repentance itself.  No one repents unless they first feel guilty about their sin, but not all who feel guilty actually repent.

Some people are very sorry because of the consequences of their sin, or because they have been caught.  Many people are sorry, not for what they had done wrong, but for the penalty they receive in being caught.

"Godly sorrows leads to repentance that brings salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death" (2 Cor 7:10)

Hope For The Furture

The resurrection of Jesus gives us great hope for the future.  He is called 'the firstborn from the dead" (Col 1:18).  In His resurrection, he was opening the way for all those who would believe in Him to follow after Him - to also be raised from the dead!

One wonderful day in the future, Jesus Christ will return to the earth again--not as a baby this time, but revealing to the whole world Who He really is - the glorious God and Ruler of all Creation.  At that time, all those who have died, believing in Him will be raised to life again.

"If Christ has not been raised, your faith in futile, you are still in your sins.  Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost.  If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.
"But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead the first fruites of thos who have fallen asleep.
"For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man
"For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.  ...(1Cor 15:17-23)

His Resurrection Delivers Us From Our Past

Deliverance From The Past

Your old sinful was put to death on the cross with Jesus, and buried with Him in the grave.  Then when Jesus was raised to life again, you were raised with Him as a new creation – leaving behind your old life in Jesus’ grave.

“ We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life...the death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.  In the same way, count yourself dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Rom 6: 4-11)