All marriages struggle with similar challenges. Some are able to deal with challenges in a way that makes them stronger. Others succumb to challenges. It’s common to hear some couples lamenting, “Why did I even get married?” “I don’t think I want to stay in this marriage anymore.” Yet if you asked why they married their spouse in the first place, most of these couples would tell you they married their spouse because they loved him/her. They may also add, rightly, that they married them because they needed a lifetime companion to love and cherish. Where many of these couples err is the attitude and unrealistic expectations they bring into the marriage. It’s almost as if they forget that their spouses aren’t perfect and never will be. No one is perfect! You married your spouse not because you thought s/he was perfect but because you felt s/he was the one whose imperfections you could live with for the rest of your life. You married them because you were absolutely convinced you had found the right partner, the one you could love and cherish regardless of their shortcomings. I’m sure if you were looking for a perfect partner, you’d still be searching, and I can guarantee you would’ve searched indefinitely. So what’s my point?

If you married the right partner for the right reason and understand that you didn’t marry a perfect person, then you should be able to make accommodations for his/her imperfections and make your marriage work. You should be able to accept your spouse wholly, love your spouse unconditionally and live peaceably with each other. You need to remember that you gave all your conditions up when you vowed at the altar to love your spouse for better or worse? Embracing and living out those vows to the last letter is the first step toward marital bliss. Most of us know what we need to do to make our marriages better. We know we need to love unconditionally and love more, care more, listen more, understand more, support more, forgive more, honor more, give more and sacrifice more, but are we willing to do that? I hope you are.