It’s amazing how many of us are willing to invest time and effort into our education, career, and financial future, but not our marriage. (If you’re not married, perhaps you could remember married couples you know in your prayers today.) One of the leading causes of divorce is boredom. One minister explains: ‘Partners lose their focus, stray into affairs, get addicted to porn, or exhibit other destructive behaviour…The secret to a strong marriage is to continue to find ways to improve yourself and to share. It can be as simple as reading a book or article and sharing something interesting about what you read, or taking a course and using what you learned at home…It can be learning about your partner’s career field and taking an interest in what they do all day, showing you are engaged with who they are…Partners who want to keep growing as a couple also need to have lives of their own away from the marriage as well. Pursuing hobbies, interests, and appropriate friendships outside the marriage makes each partner more interesting and stimulating when they come back home. How wonderful to sit together at the dinner table and share exciting things you each discovered during the day. There is a balancing act in developing your own life without ignoring the life you have together. The person you marry will be around for a very long time if you do things right. Long after physical attraction and the intensity of sexual chemistry have faded, and the kids are grown and living on their own, you and your partner will want strong connections so you can continue to grow and enjoy life together.’ So, invest in your marriage. © 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.