20 Easy Steps to Keeping Your Marriage Strong

Last post, I gave you 20 Easy Steps to Destroying Your Marriage, so it’s only fitting that this time I give you 20 Easy Steps to Keeping Your Marriage Strong:

1. Find a way to serve God together.
2. Listen attentively.
3. Forgive freely.
4. Talk to your spouse (even when you don’t feel like it).
5. Encourage your mate daily.
6. Dream together.
7. Be honest.
8. Laugh together often.
9. Love your mate’s family  (even if/when they are unlovable).
10. Compliment your mate a thousand times more than you criticize him/her.
11. Say “I’m sorry” when you need to--and really mean it.
12. Be humble.
13. Pleasantly surprise each other often.
14. Be together sexually...
15. ...but don't forget to nurture other forms of intimacy too (emotional, social, intellectual, and spiritual). 
16. Play together.
17. Cry together.
18. Never, ever, ever forget that you are one flesh, not just two people who happen to be married.
19. Give of yourself for the benefit of your mate, even when it isn’t asked or expected.
20. Say “I love you,” then live “I love you.”

And if you’re really bound and determined to keep your marriage strong, I bet you could add a few more things to this list...so get to it.