Hello steemians, will be writing about marriages and relationships as a series. Your opinions on these posts will be highly appreciated.
One of the keys to a solid marital relationship is when you are perfectly content to be alone with your spouse.There will inevitably be those occasions when a husband and a wife will be together with no other friends or family for long periods of time.
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Those can and should be among the happiest and most rewarding times of marriage. It may occur at the end of any average workday. It may happen during vacation times, while travelling together by car, or when rain prevents you from getting outside for hours or days.
Unless you have taken the time as a couple to develop a genuine friendship with each other above and beyond any sexual attraction you may feel, those hours can be long and hard to endure.That is why it is essential that a marital relationship be undergirded by a solid friendship.
The strongest marriages usually involve couples that are each other’s best friend
One of the surest indicators of the strength and health of your marriage is the knowledge that you and your spouse are each other’s best friend.
This friendship between spouses exceeds the mere fact of spending time together as all of us might do with other people on the job or in a variety of social settings. There is a deeper level of trust and devotion associated with your best friend, and no one should enjoy more of your trust and devotion than your spouse.
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There should be a difference between your relationship with your spouse and your relationships with other friends and acquaintances. No one should receive more of your love or trust than the person to whom you are married. That is what makes that person your best friend.
Questions for you to consider
Is there anyone other than your spouse with whom you would prefer to spend most of your leisure time? If so, who and why?
Is your intended spouse also your best friend?If not, who is your best friend and how does that person fit into your life?
Is there anything you own or any resource you possess (e.g time, money, knowledge, experience, business or professional contacts) that you would not be willing to share with or sacrifice for the sake of your spouse? If so, what and why?
What are the things, beyond outward appearance, that you find attractive and appealing in your partner?Try to name 10-15 things that you have in common with your intended spouse that can serve as the foundation upon which your lifelong relationship can be built.
Are there any areas of apparent difference that you know you are going to have a hard time accepting or living with? If so, what are they?
Are there any things about your intended spouse that are going to have to change in order for the marriage to be successful? If so, what are they?
Are you likely to get jealous if your spouse wants to spend some time with other friends from the job or from some other social circle in which you are not involved? Why or why not?
Are there any friendships that you are going to have to sever once you get married, because you know they might intrude upon your marital relationship? Why or why not?
How long can you be away from your intended spouse before you start to miss him or her?
Thanks for reading my blog
Reference
7 steps before we say I Do by Marvin A. McMickle
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