Keep Showing Up

Keep Showing Up explores the struggles that married couples face on a daily basis, from falling into a routine to fighting over their children, and how to overcome them by being grateful, positive and re-establishing a connection with God.

Love is a powerful sentiment that has to be maintained and nourished in a marriage. However, we can’t expect it to stay the same forever, even if we care for our partner and do everything right. Love changes and takes different forms over time, and we have to learn to evolve with it and with our partners.

According to the New Testament, love takes four different forms. The first one is erotic love — passion. This type of affection happens when we first fall for someone, but it fades over time and evolves into something else. This type of love is selfish, as it’s all about how the other person makes us feel.

The second type is brotherly love, similar to friendship. This is a normal and quite important stage of marriage. However, this part of love is conditional, as we love someone because they feel the same for us. The third type is familial love. We love our significant other because we’re expected to love them by this time in the relationship. However, it’s dangerous to let our love sit here for too long, as it can get monotonous.

The fourth type is the one that originates with God. This is unconditional love. This type is selfless, similar to the love God has for us. Love the other despite his faults and not for his acts. At this stage, a successful marriage should be kind, loving, and peaceful.

Just like in the world, we don’t all speak the same language. In love, we might not always show the same gestures of affection. But would you get upset if the person living in a foreign country doesn’t speak your native tongue? Of course not! Love knows five specific languages, according to Dr. Gary Chapman. And because everyone is unique, we all display different signs of affection. Knowing which are these signs allows us to appreciate our partner more and recognize when they show us, love. For example, let’s say you like to have your partner help around the house with chores, like washing the dishes or sweeping the floor. However, your partner likes to bring you flowers, chocolate or other small gifts. You may appreciate those but not consider them a love language. Learn to interpret signs of affection and understand when your significant other speaks to you. Another aspect that can shake your marriage is boredom brought on by the routine. Try to break it once in a while by…