A Rare Commodity

            Marital bliss is a rare commodity. More often than not it could, at best, be better described as a fairy tale or a figment of the imagination.  Why would anyone ever say something like that?  It sounds pretty harsh doesn't it?

           The reality is, we are all human, and by nature we all have our own values, baggage, agendas, ways of doing things, and our own individual perspectives.  That said, when two folks join in marriage, they are bringing to the table two sets of values, baggage, agendas, ways of doing things, and their individual perspectives--and they don't always mesh.  Sometimes they will never mesh.  Enter compromise, tolerance, forgiveness, patience, and unconditional love--qualities each partner has to learn, grasp, and hold on to if the marriage is going to even have a chance of succeeding.

           The bliss that we feel so strongly when we first get married, and for a varying degree of time after we do so isn't always fed by the reality of the situation.  There are things we don't see in the other, and things we choose to ignore about them.  Those things will, ultimately, pop up and bring friction with them.  That is when the real work begins--the work to build a strong marriage.  That is when we decide we can and will live through those things, some of which can get under our skin mighty fast.

            Marriage is built on love, and it isn't always easy.  Sometimes we just have to choose to love, regardless.

 

 

Bottom Line Thought:  Can you choose to love your spouse even as you sometimes are struggling to even like her?  Marriage is not a scorecard.