Marriage Works

Heed The Advice

Does relationship advice really work? There are times where we need to talk to other couples, a spiritual advisor or relationship expert. I’m not a believer  in putting relationship problems or issues on social media and thinking that you’re going to get sound advice.

Advice can come from a multitude of places. What matters most is, what we do with the advice that counts. Our marriages and relationships are what we make of them. Does a relationship require work? Absolutely, it does. However, we need to change how we define “work.”

We tend to think of work in terms of our jobs. It is the means to an end. We think that our jobs are a necessary evil. Which is why so many people are dissatisfied, and find no fulfillment in their jobs. We take this “work” and relate it to our marriages and relationships. So we have marriages that are not satisfying and unfulfilling. We let ourselves think that we only stayed together for the children. There was no work towards maintaining the relationship. By the time the kids leave the house, the parents have grown apart and end up getting divorced.

This type of “work” should not be applied to our relationships because it only leads to feelings of stress and being unfulfilled.  Relationships can’t succeed like this. We need a new viewpoint.

There is new group of young people coming into the workforce today with a different viewpoint. We can learn something from them. They are a group that is not just pursuing a job for the sake of having a job, but they are looking for a “meaningful” career. They are looking to make a difference in the world.

We should approach our relationships the same way. Date someone with the intention of seeing if they will partner towards developing  a meaningful relationship. Marry someone that is going to push you towards being a better person. Marriage is not a part time job that we clock in and clock out on based on our current mood. Marriage is a lifelong journey towards joint success that’s full of amazing rewards. Yes, it can be work, but it is meaningful to our life. The person we marry should make a positive difference in our world.

So does relationship advice work? Only if we value it and see it as pushing us to a more meaningful and valuable relationship. We always have the option to accept or ignore the advice. Marriage and relationships are investments in our lives, you’ll get out of it exactly what you put into it.