https://www.christianity.com/wiki/marriage/rss/ Copyright https://www.christianity.com 2026, Christianity.com Tue, 31 Mar 2026 01:50:00 -0400 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/marriage/ways-to-protect-your-marriage-from-satan-this-holiday-season.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/marriage/ways-to-protect-your-marriage-from-satan-this-holiday-season.html Kate Stevens https://www.christianity.com/author/kate-stevens/ We all have expectations about how holidays should go. Some want the world to forget their name so they can slow down their own world. Some want to cram in as many crafts, activities, movies, and gatherings as possible so that they have to deck their halls on November 1st to achieve it all. Some don’t even begin acknowledging their expectations until December 18th because Thanksgiving was such a humdinger. And even if a married couple both function within the same expectations, it is all too easy to misfire with good intentions, one person zigging while the other is busy zagging.This is more than just a communication settlement. A husband and wife can very clearly explain exactly what they want the family Christmas ornament to look like this year, and still be in strife. The resolve only comes when one or both parties relinquish control, yielding to the other. This, of course, is not reserved for the holidays. We can run into this scenario when buying a car or choosing breakfast cereal. However, it seems that this festive time of year can quickly crank up the discord in marriages. The Enemy knows it’s a great time of celebration for the Christian household, so the smallest of joys can be twisted to a great sorrow if we let it. Awareness, reflection, honesty, and especially prayer go a long way in making holidays even sweeter for a marriage.There are possibly hundreds of ways marriages can suffer during the holidays: finances, schedules, hospitality, in-law dynamics, emotions, frustrations, kids’ expectations, sins of envy, and comparison. I want to expose three principles to abide by: prepare spiritually, set a budget, practice hospitality—you can fill in the blank on your own methodology. But before we zoom in, let me offer the first step: Reflect back on tough holidays past where the season wasn’t so jolly. You may even want to reflect on your own childhood. Oftentimes, our spouse can unknowingly trip over one of our painful memories or experiences. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal your own blind spots, not your spouse’s. Be vulnerable and honest about your own shortcomings in those years, poised for repentance if you left any issues suspended.At the beginning and end of it all, the Bible is our standard—not a traditional or cultural notion of the dinner menu, Christmas decor, or wishlists from our children. Ephesians 5:22–24 says that a wife to submit in everything to her husband. Wives can dismiss holidays as too trivial a thing to consider for submission, crippling the gift these days are designed for. Ephesians 5:25–33 states that a husband is to love his wife by laying down his life for her, cherishing her, and nourishing her. These high-stakes, memory-making days are ready for such manly actions. If you know holidays have proven tense for your marriage, start by reading all of Ephesians 5 aloud. Then consider the following:Photo credit: ©GettyImages/zamrznutitonovi Thu, 18 Dec 2025 12:25:55 -0500 2026-03-31T01:50:00-04:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/marriage/powerful-changes-to-make-in-your-marriage-next-year.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/marriage/powerful-changes-to-make-in-your-marriage-next-year.html Amanda Idleman https://www.christianity.com/author/amanda-idleman/ As we enter a New Year, many of us pause to consider what aspects of our lives need to change. Often, we consider implementing new habits in hopes of finding a breakthrough in the new season. This pause and reflection may offer us a chance to evaluate the health of our marriages. Sometimes we may reflect on our marriages with joy and gratitude, knowing we’ve grown closer over the past year, and other years we may feel grief as we know our marriages are struggling.I’ve met the New Year feeling both of these feelings. One year, I was at my end, convinced my husband did not actually love me anymore. It was a dark season, but by God’s grace, my despair led us to action, and we began working on changing our patterns and forgiving one another. The next year, we celebrated the New Year with a sense of gratitude for the changes that had unfolded between us.No matter how you are feeling, there is always room for growth in our marriages! We can never stop pursuing each other on this journey, and as soon as we become complacent about each other, our relationship starts to fall apart. I invite you to pause and prayerfully consider what changes you need to make so your marriage can thrive.Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Fabio Camandona Thu, 18 Dec 2025 11:37:43 -0500 2026-03-31T01:50:00-04:00 https://www.christianity.com/devotionals/todays-devotionals/the-emotional-needs-in-a-marriage-plus-marriage-devotional.html https://www.christianity.com/devotionals/todays-devotionals/the-emotional-needs-in-a-marriage-plus-marriage-devotional.html Peyton Garland https://www.christianity.com/author/peyton-garland/ Marriage can feel like a constant give-and-take of stress. But what if encouragement (not control) was your daily goal? Learn how a shift in focus can bring lasting calm to your home. Wed, 08 Oct 2025 13:05:00 -0400 2026-03-31T01:50:00-04:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/marriage/what-does-the-bible-say-about-living-with-someone-before-marriage.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/marriage/what-does-the-bible-say-about-living-with-someone-before-marriage.html Greg Grandchamp https://www.christianity.com/author/greg-grandchamp/ Cohabitation is common, but is it biblical? Fri, 03 Oct 2025 17:20:00 -0400 2026-03-31T01:50:00-04:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/current-events/the-difference-between-wanting-a-wife-and-choosing-to-be-a-husband.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/current-events/the-difference-between-wanting-a-wife-and-choosing-to-be-a-husband.html Peyton Garland https://www.christianity.com/author/peyton-garland/ How can we reclaim marriage, fatherhood, and godly leadership from a culture that’s distorting them? Thu, 28 Aug 2025 14:40:00 -0400 2026-03-31T01:50:00-04:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/current-events/menodivorce-and-the-gospel-answer-to-fading-vows.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/current-events/menodivorce-and-the-gospel-answer-to-fading-vows.html Peyton Garland https://www.christianity.com/author/peyton-garland/ Two life stages—new motherhood and menopause—carry hidden pressures that often lead to divorce. Here's why the Church can't stay quiet anymore. Wed, 27 Aug 2025 19:40:00 -0400 2026-03-31T01:50:00-04:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/marriage/10-biblical-answers-to-modern-marriage-confusion.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/marriage/10-biblical-answers-to-modern-marriage-confusion.html Cantice Greene https://www.christianity.com/author/cantice-greene/ There’s so much about marriage we don’t know before we make that commitment. That may be because marriage is too large a concept for us to grasp, and our minds are too finite to fully understand marriage in context before we get there. More and more, our newest generation of dating adults think marriage is an institution of the past that is no longer relevant. While that idea is popular, it discounts all the biblical defenses of marriage that are sprinkled throughout the Bible. I hope that after reading on, some of your questions about marriage will be answered, and you will begin to see the value of marriage in today’s world.1. Isn’t it Just a Contract?Marriage is so much more than a contract—it’s a covenant. You may already know this, but the difference between the two is that if one person doesn’t fulfil their end of the bargain in a covenant, the other still does. That’s unlike a contract that can be nullified when one party neglects their part. Here’s a biblical example: In Genesis 15, God put Abraham to sleep when He was making a covenant with him. He did this to show that His covenant with Abraham did not depend on Abraham; it depended only on God. Even when we can’t keep our end of the covenant vows, He keeps up His end. He’s faithful even when we are not. We all know marriages that have ended, where the marriage covenant has been broken, but God didn’t intend for marriage to end that way. Marriage is a mystery that is supposed to be a model of the church’s union with Christ, who will certainly keep up his end of the covenant.Verse to Remember: 2 Timothy 2:13“If we are faithless. He is faithful. He cannot deny Himself.”Photo Credit: ©Pexels/Nghia Trinh Wed, 20 Aug 2025 17:00:00 -0400 2026-03-31T01:50:00-04:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-life/5-guidelines-to-co-parenting-after-divorcing-a-narcissist.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-life/5-guidelines-to-co-parenting-after-divorcing-a-narcissist.html Todd Turner https://www.christianity.com/author/todd-turner/ Divorce is one of life’s most challenging experiences, but when your ex-spouse is a narcissist, the challenges can feel overwhelming. Co-parenting after such a relationship adds a layer of complexity that is unique to those dealing with narcissism. However, with the right mindset, biblical wisdom, and a focus on the well-being of your children, it is possible to navigate these turbulent waters.Let’s explore how to co-parent effectively after divorcing a narcissist and identify some practical advice and guidance to help you maintain peace, focus, and resilience.Understanding Narcissism in Co-ParentingNarcissism involves a lack of empathy, a need for control, and a self-centered worldview. In a marriage, these traits make daily life exhausting, and they don’t disappear once the divorce is finalized. In fact, they often carry over into co-parenting. A narcissistic ex might manipulate situations, use the children as pawns, or attempt to control parenting decisions long after the marriage has ended.Recognizing these behaviors is the first step toward effective co-parenting. By understanding the nature of narcissism, you can better prepare for the emotional and psychological toll it may take and develop strategies to handle those situations.Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Charday Penn Fri, 18 Jul 2025 16:30:00 -0400 2026-03-31T01:50:00-04:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/marriage/4-reasons-the-church-must-rethink-how-it-treats-the-divorced.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/marriage/4-reasons-the-church-must-rethink-how-it-treats-the-divorced.html Todd Turner https://www.christianity.com/author/todd-turner/ God still uses broken stories, and it’s time churches made space for healing, honesty, and hope. Fri, 18 Jul 2025 15:05:00 -0400 2026-03-31T01:50:00-04:00 https://www.christianity.com/wiki/marriage/how-to-stop-criticizing-your-husband-and-start-building-him-up.html https://www.christianity.com/wiki/marriage/how-to-stop-criticizing-your-husband-and-start-building-him-up.html Ann Wilson https://www.christianity.com/author/ann-wilson/ Learn how laying down the urge to "fix" your husband and embracing self-reflection can transform your marriage and help you speak life into your relationship. Fri, 09 May 2025 09:00:00 -0400 2026-03-31T01:50:00-04:00