16 Tips for Lifelong Marriage … In Honor of Our 16th Anniversary

Today marks 16 years since I became Mrs. Scott Underwood.  What a gift to marry my best friend and a man whom I deeply admire.  

I’ve been thinking, as we’ve watched some marriages fall apart lately around us, what makes ours last.  And so, here are 16 tips to a life-long marriage.

1. Remember the covenant … this isn’t just you and your husband, it’s also between you and the Lord.
2. Talk … every day.  About something other than the kids and your finances.  Words build a relationship that weathers the storms.
3. Kiss … as often as possible.
4. Say “I love you” … because sometimes the saying it helps us remember that it’s true.
5. Just be polite … I’m more and more convinced that submission begins with simple courteous behavior.
6. Submit … not because he always deserves it or has earned it but because it is part of nurturing your relationship with the Lord.
7. Date nights … often and during them refer back to #1 and #2.
8. Cultivate relationships with other couples … find at least one couple who is older than you to spend time with regularly a couple who is older than you (hint: look for a couple who still holds hands!) and when choosing couple friends, make sure they enjoy their own marriages and speak well of their husbands.
9. Write it down … create a written record of your love story.  For you and for your children.
10. Pray for one another … and with one another.  Often.
11. Make your spouse the standard of beauty and respect … this is the best gift my husband has ever given me.
12. Speak well of your husband … always.
13. Don’t nag … seriously.  Don’t.
14. Choose to be overwhelmed by loving him … because this choice can make all the difference.
15. Don’t make your husband an idol … give marriage the place it deserves and your husband the honor he deserves, but never give them a place that rightfully belongs to God.
16. Marriage is just hard work … but it is worth the effort.

To my husband,

Thank you for believing in my dreams and sacrificing to make them come true.  Thank you for loving the Lord more than you love me and giving me the freedom and encouragement to do the same.  Thank you for being a father who is showing our daughter what the Father’s love looks like every single day.   Thank you for serving others and inviting me to join you.  Thank you for making our home a place of laughter and joy.  Thank you for picking up the pieces when I fall apart and for holding me tight when life seems too much.  Thank you for listening when I told you we were supposed to be together.  I love you.

Always,

Your Wife