The 3 "C"'s

I have found a rule of 3 "C"'s to help me in my marriage. Many women prepare for their wedding day but how many prepare for their marriage anymore? Not many. How they will be in their marriage is often found in what they learned or didn't learn from their parents marriage. How is their relationship with their Heavenly Father?
Compassion is the first. We need to be forgiving, understanding and willing to forget their imperfections. Our Heavenly Father has forgiven us and loved us enough to send His son to die on the cross for us. He grants us grace in our sinful nature. We can never be perfect but He loves us anyway since we are one of His children. Remember that when you get upset about your spouse maybe making a decision you don't agree with. Our husband is head of the household and as such, no matter if you think he is doing it right, we should follow his lead.
Compromise is a hard one to follow. We need to be willing to 'pick our battles'. We don't always have to be. Even if he is wrong we need to remember anger and hurt feelings are not worth it. We need to be willing to make them first in our life. Make them feel they are the most important and work our schedules around him. We are showing we care enough about them that nothing else is as important.
Communication is essential in any relationship. Especially in a marriage if it is to work. Some people have trouble communicating with their spouse and that just means it may take longer for roads to be paved for that to happen. It is part of their personality. Accept them for who they are. I have to work at making sure I talk to my hubs about everything. He is a natural talker. I am too but often don't discuss how I may feel about something. He makes sure I am open with him on everything. Sometimes that is hard for me but I know in my heart I need too. Because we make an effort to do this it has made us closer and made our marriage stronger than ever.
Overall I know there are some exceptions to the rule. If you are working at your marriage everyday, praying for wisdom in your marriage then you will know how to handle these. After many years of marriage we are still working at it everyday. It's worth it. We just celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary and we are closer now, stronger, better friends and partners than when we started.
My Thirsting Soul