Have you ever asked yourself why your marriage matters? Why do you have to be the one to have a successful relationship? Most of us have never really thought about our marriage, our friendships or any other relationships that we have and how they affect the world around us. Why does it matter?
Why My Marriage Matters
My parents got divorced when I was in high school. Children from divorce usually have one or two responses. The first response is that they want nothing to do with marriage. They didn’t have an example of a successful marriage so they don’t see the value in marriage. The second response is that children from divorce want what they didn’t see. They set out to make sure their marriage is one that lasts. I choose the second response. Why does your relationship matter?
- As human beings we need relationships. It doesn’t really surprise me that something as great as social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) which was designed to bring people closer together has actually had the opposite effect. People are feeling more and more alone.
Our spouse should be the primary relationship that we have. It should be foundational for our lives. That’s not to say that your spouse has to be your best friend, but they should be a basis for our relationships.
- Your relationship is a model. Whether we want to admit or not, our marriages, friendships and our relationships in general are a model for our children at the least. The way in which you act in relationships is how your children will act in theirs.
I know that this can be hard to balance. We don’t want the motivation for our relationships to be that we are modeling them for someone else or to live up to someone else’s expectation. However, we have to know that as my example of my parents’ divorce, our marriages leave an impression on our children. Good or bad it leaves an impression.
- Relationships are vital to our health. I don’t have all the stats, but it makes sense that healthy relationships make you feel better. Negative relationships can cause stress and other health-related issues. We should want to be in healthy relationships. A healthy marriage should be one of our top priorities.
Discussion Question:
How do you value your relationships?
