At least one of the purposes of your engagement season is to make sure you’ve made the right decision.
Marriage
How will I know that I’m ready to wed? Dr. Greg Smalley is often asked this question by engaged couples, so he offers his personal insights on how couples can better understand love.
Most people struggle to manage their stresses in marriage effectively. And unmanaged stress in one spouse usually escalates stress in the other. But reactions can be complex.
Do you feel distant from your spouse even when you are in the same room? You may be dealing with learned coping mechanisms from childhood.
Spouses who have suffered sexual trauma and haven’t dealt with it go on outwardly, while secretly struggling in their marriage. Here’s what you need to know.
Depression doesn’t make you a failure. Persevering through it makes you a strong Christian and a winner in God’s eyes.
Nearly 50 million Americans are affected by mental illness. Navigating mental health conditions and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be a confusing and draining experience for spouses. But this does not mean the end of your marriage — there is hope for your marriage even if it is riddled with mental illness.
During some seasons, you might become bitter as a result of feeling like you’re doing more than your spouse. If this issue resurfaces often for you, Erin Smalley has some suggestions to help.
Don’t get tangled up in the notion that depression is a sin. Remember, you don’t need to deal with depression on your own.
Here’s how you can help your loved one out of the darkness of depression.
When living with a depressed spouse, changing your heart can be a long, slow process. Here are some suggestions to help you heal your relationship.
When spouses stay alert to changes in each other, they can catch warning signs of possible mental health issues early on and seek the help they need.
A marriage vow is a special and powerful promise — and we need it for many reasons. If you’re living together but you’re not married yet, consider the power of the vow.
There’s a reason traditional marriage vows have endured for centuries.
For my 12 year anniversary, I’ve highlighted 12 pieces of newlywed advice I wish I could share with the newlywed version of myself.
All couples fight. And it feels as if we’re fighting about something. But when we look at our conflicts, they can sound pretty insignificant. Big things don’t ensnare us as often as the little things.
Resolving conflict healthily honors marriage and keeps the marriage bed pure. Praying with your spouse leads to emotional safety, which encourages sexual intimacy.
Being stubbornly silent or verbally explosive during marital conflict doesn’t honor God. Finding balance in marital conflict resolution expresses honor and love for God.
Avoiding conflict in marriage isn’t fair to yourself or your spouse. Learning to embrace and resolve conflict healthily leads to a better marriage.
Maybe folks need a reminder that marriage is a “wonderful thing.” Maybe they need to see a married couple – you and your spouse – treat each other as valuable as King Tut’s gold.
