In honor of Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d share 5 Tips For a Healthy Marriage. These are tips that Wayne and I believe in and use in our own marriage. Whatever stage of marriage you’re in, your marriage is important and you need to make it a priority!

After 22 years of ministering along side my husband to couples and leading numerous conferences on marriage I have realized we all have to work at our marriages.

Wayne and I have certainly had struggles but one thing we both know is, we are committed to each other, period!

I love being married to Wayne and we both want the best marriage possible. So here are my 5 tips for a healthy marriage~~

1. Make Christ a Priority-The first thing we must do to keep our marriage healthy is to put Christ first. Many people today try to have a healthy marriage without Him but dare I say more than ever, we need Him.

I’m not talking about going to church every once in a while but I’m talking about a real relationship with the One who created marriage. (Genesis 2:20-25)

Wayne and I hold each other accountable and we encourage each other in our walk with Christ. This is the most important priority and ultimately the most fulfilling way to a strong marriage.

2. Pray together-Wayne and I regularly pray together. For some reason, some couples have a hard time praying together. But let me encourage you to try it. There’s something very intimate about praying together and it’s hard to be mad at each other when you’re praying for each other together. 🙂

3. Laughter is good medicine-Marriage is hard and we sometimes disagree, but laughter has always been good medicine for our marriage. There are lots of serious issues in the world but taking a break from them and just finding time to belly laugh has been such a blessing in our marriage.

Today, maybe things are a little crazy around your house. Let me suggest laughter, it really does do a marriage good! “A joyful heart is good medicine” Proverbs 17:22

 4. Celebrate Your Differences-One thing we hear a lot of married couples say is “we have nothing in common”. I laugh as I write this because Wayne and I are complete opposites too.

I often feel like singing the theme song to Green Acres. You’ve heard it right?

{Wayne} Green acres is the place for me. 
Farm livin’ is the life for me. 
Land spreadin’ out so far and wide 
Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside.

{Cyndi} New York is where I’d rather stay. 
I get allergic smelling hay. 
I just adore a penthouse view. 
Dah-ling I love you but give me Park Avenue.

We laugh all the time about how different we are. But I think it makes are marriage interesting. Wayne and I give and take.

I go fishing with him (well I go, I don’t actually fish, I take a good book) and he goes shopping with me. It works for us!

So today, celebrate your differences rather than trying to change them. Then try to think of some things you do have in common.

5. Dream Together-Wayne and I love to talk about things we want to do together. Even things we want to do with our grown children. Dreaming keeps our marriage fresh and exciting! So take some time this week to dream together.

This is not an exhaustive list but these are 5 things that we believe has kept our marriage strong and healthy. Wayne and I will be married 23 years this year and we can both say we are more in love with each today than ever before.

Happy Valentine’s Day!