Freaky Friday

If you're married, you've had a fight with your spouse. I've had my own personal lows in marriage, and I've even publicly griped about them in this forum (to my own chagrin), so I preface today's post about marriage with the admission that... I myself, am, (I know, hard to believe)...not perfect.

In that spirit, I want to say, I really enjoy the concept of the movie Freaky Friday. If you haven't seen it, two people from different perspectives (specifically, a mother and daughter), switch bodies and live life for a period of time in the other person's world. They are only swtiched back, once they have learned their lesson.

I think many of us would benefit from walking a mile or twenty in another person's shoes, for example, that of our spouse. I'm not advocating outer body experiences, but do support considering things from your spouse's perspective.

I've learned some things about relationships along the way...here are 10 things I have learned from marriage, BK, Before Kids:


1. Don't complain to your mother or your mother-in-law about your spouse. Your mom will develop a low and one-sided opinion of your spouse, and well...complaining to your in law about her baby boy will get you nowhere.

2. Promote relationships with people of the same sex. Translation..."If you're a guy, have guy friends." Don't develop exclusive relationships with the opposite sex. Stay above reproach. Don't put yourself in a situation where you could be tempted to do something stupid.

3. Remember and celebrate special dates. Birthdays, anniversaries. Important dates in the lives of loved ones...these are moments people came into this world and into our lives and they should be celebrated, to show honor and respect for the people we love.

4. Protect your relationships with God and your spouse/family, and then think about your job. If you're not right with God, don't expect things to be going well at home or at work.

5. Wives respect your husbands. Husbands love your wives. God gave us admonitions to work on the things that don't come naturally to us. Check out Love and Respect at http://www.christianbook.com/

6. Don't let petty fights keep you apart. Life is too short for that stuff to matter in the long run.

7. Think about the words you say before you say them. How will they effect your spouse or your marriage in the long run? Is it better to hold your tongue or chew him/her out? Sometimes it's just better to shut your mouth and let the wind blow than to blow back and knock your spouse flat on his or her butt.

8. Don't go too long without sex. Don't hold out on your spouse, even if your mad. Work things out and then make up. :)

9. Discover your spouse's love language and learn to speak it: Receiving Gifts, Physical Touch, Quality Time, Words of Affirmation, or Acts of Service. Make ongoing investments in your relationship.

10. Remember that your happiness is not dependent on your spouse. Happiness isn't even found exclusively in yourself. It's begins with a healthy relationship with Christ.