Today is my 30th wedding anniversary and I figure since we’ve been married for over a quarter of a century, I might have something useful to share about how to achieve wedded bliss 😊
Therefore I’ve been discussing with my husband Philip what our top tips for being married happily for 30 years are.
Here are our five tops tips for a happy marriage:
Marry your best friend: whatever may be happening in life, when you have you best friend by your side you’re going to be alright, plus you have a friend for life no matter what. Its someone who always has your back, and sees and brings out the best in you.
Dont sweat the small stuff, and really most things are small stuff: a majority of the things we stress about and get picky and annoyed about in the big scheme of our lives just don’t matter. To be honest does it really matter who picks up the clothes in the bathroom, how the toothpaste is left and who does the dishes. Keep hold of what’s important and be thankful for the person beside you every single day.
Focus on the good things – life is all about balance. There will be good times and also really challenging moments in every relationship and journey. But when we prioritize and focus on the good in one another and our circumstances it’s amazing how different the other person can suddenly look, when perhaps only a moment ago they were really annoying you. Look for the good.
Always want the best for one another – Philip consistently encourages me to be the best version of myself, to push past my limitations and to dream big dreams. Then he does everything he possibly can to help me achieve these things and to live my best life. Where we’ve both sought to do and be that for one another we’ve been able to do and experience some pretty amazing things. Together and supporting one another we’ve been able to study, travel the world, have six amazing children together, plant churches, witness God do some awesome things in and through our lives, work alongside each other, pursue our different interests and compliment and appreciate the things that make us unique.
Have Jesus as the centre – When God is the centre of your world and relationships He will become the glue that keeps you united and gives purpose to everything. In him all things hold together and make sense.
Philip and I are complete opposites in personality and backgrounds. Our families and lives were and are very different, but God did a wonderful thing when he caused our lives to collide. We decided to change the narrative of the past, our family history and any disappointments and with Gods help are writing our own story.
Marriage that lasts a lifetime doesn’t just happen, it takes effort, sacrifice, choosing to forgive, seeking to be a bigger person and learning and wanting to discover what love really is. However sitting here cuddled up beside my husband of 30 years I can tell you it’s well worth it.
Oh and lastly Philip says his very best piece of advice is to, “marry up like he did”. 😊
“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labour. If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has noone to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)
“He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favour from the Lord.” (Proverbs 18:22)
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