This article is a continuation of the article “The 2 Keys to Having a Successful Relationship.”

Master Key #2: Love Your Spouse

The second master key to having a successful relationship is to “love your spouse,” even when they’re not lovable.

Don’t worry if your spouse is not doing a good job; you do a good job.  Sow good seeds to reap a good harvest.  If they’re a mess, god-dog-it, the truth is you’re probably a mess too, so fix the problems together.  Help the other person; maybe they’re a mess because you hadn’t helped them for the last 20 years.  I didn’t say you hadn’t harassed them, I said you hadn’t helped them.  Some people get their “H’s” mixed up.  You’re supposed to help your spouse …not hurt, harm, hinder, harass, or humiliate, but help!

The key is to “help them” in “love.”  I admire what the Apostle Paul wrote concerning “love.”  …Because you may think you’re doing a good job as a spouse, but if you’re not doing it “in love,” then your work is in vain.

Paul said, “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal [basically, I'm just making noise].  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.”

Essentially, if you’re not responding to your spouse “in love,” the rest doesn’t matter.

Then Paul went on to define “love,” think about these words when you relate to your spouse:

Paul said, “Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails.”

So, when you relate to your spouse in love, you won’t fail! …

In Closing

These are the two master keys to a successful relationship.  Commit to them, follow them, and they will serve you well.

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