A Happy Marriage

That their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ.

Colossians 2:2

On her golden wedding anniversary, a grandmother revealed the secret of her long and happy marriage. “On my wedding day, I decided to choose ten of my husband’s faults which, for the sake of our marriage, I would overlook,” she explained. A guest asked her to name some of the faults. “To tell the truth,” she replied, “I never did get around to listing them. But whenever my husband did something that made me hopping mad, I would say to myself, ‘Lucky for him, that’s one of the ten.’ ”

No one is perfect. So marriage is the union of two imperfect people, with their individual faults, bad habits, and undesirable qualities. As Christians, marriage should be a place to practice grace. When you can look past the faults of your spouse and concentrate on encouraging him or her, you will find satisfaction and peace. If you choose to turn his or her faults into the only things you can see about your spouse, you will find yourself in a lonely marriage.

A Christian marriage demonstrates love through grace and forgiveness, and it stands as an example for others to follow.