Dear Housewife:

What are the main ingredients for a lasting marriage and a strong family?

The Main Ingredient

Dear Main Ingredient: 

I have good news and bad news for you.  Let’s get the bad news out of the way first.  About ten years ago an Italian woman who had been married for over twenty years told me that a person can find at least ONE thing EVERY MONTH that would make a person want to get divorced.  SHE WAS RIGHT.  However, she went on to share about the importance of working through those things.  I believe the foundation of every marriage should be a shared belief system.  Our belief system informs our values, attitudes and actions.  A couple cannot operate as a team if they are playing by two different playbooks.  Solomon and I are Christians and our playbook is the Bible.  The foundation of every family is the marital relationship. Unstable marriages lead to unstable families.  Parents are the leaders of the family and as such must lead by example, demonstrating love, commitment, respect and servant hood. I once asked the mother of about 12 adult children who was near the end of her life advice about being a good parent.  She replied that parents must live consistent lives and keep the lines of communication open.  This goes back to leading by example.  The ingredients to a lasting marriage and strong family are inside of us.  We must chose to tap into them.

(Featured illustration by Jim McHugh. Photo © Canstockphoto)