Relationship Advice

Making Your Marriage Last a Lifetime  PDF

by Dr. Jonathan Isaacson

With today’s high divorce rates, many couples wonder if a lasting and loving marriage is possible. The simple answer is yes, with knowledge, hard work, and dedication.

The success of marriage is greatly dependent on how you treat your spouse everyday. The first step is building your marriage on the foundation of commitment, kindness, respect, and gratitude.

Commitment means that someone will love and value us for life, despite our imperfections. And whatever difficulties we face, we work through our problems together.  

Kindness means acting with thoughtfulness, empathy, and the desire to bring joy to your spouse instead of pain. When you view your spouse as part of yourself, your spouse’s needs, wants, and feelings are just as important as your own.

Respect means honoring your spouse and recognizing their infinite value. Generally, men crave admiration, while women need appreciation. Expressing gratitude shows your spouse is important to you.

Romance is a byproduct of loving actions, making you irresistible to your spouse. In the beginning of a relationship, both partners were eager to bring pleasure to the other. In marriage, you have infinite opportunities to bring greater joy and grow in love with your spouse.  As such, passion and romance will become an integral part of your marriage.

Commitment. Kindness. Respect. Gratitude. These are the pillars of marriage, without which, love cannot grow. It may not be the stuff that movies are made of, but it’s the everyday acts of kindness and of being together that make love flourish. It is in the caring and respecting of each other. It is in building a life, a family, and a home together that husband and wife reach a point in which they can no longer envision life without each other.