When Your Marriage is Sunny
Growing with each other while working towards #couplegoals
Published on 15 January, 2024
The joys of a Sunny marriage
It’s hot. You’re sweaty. But it’s fun because your days are packed with activities.
The sense of newness that marked a Breezy weather in marriage has developed into a deeper intimacy with each other. You and your spouse have tackled some difficult issues together and have grown through it.
Differences still exist, but there is a deeper understanding of each other’s needs, wants, and temperaments. That feeling of fulfilment is not dampened even when things are not perfect.
You may not have met all your #couplegoals and are still working through the daily grind, but you and your spouse share a deeper connection.
When misunderstandings occur, they are less likely to side-track you both. You and your spouse take on challenges with new ease. There’s little second guessing about each other’s actions or motives – you are stronger and more stable as a unit.
You are satisfied and secure in your spouse’s love.
The stresses of a Sunny marriage
Your past experiences and upbringing may affect your capacity to give wholly in the marriage.
In hot and humid weather, flowers and fruits flourish; so do less pleasant things like mould and bacteria! Is there hidden mould in any corner of your marriage? Or are there any areas in each of your lives that exposes the marriage to bacterial growth?
Your past experiences and upbringing may affect your capacity to give wholly in the marriage. Or there may be a deep-seated issue threatening the trust in your marriage. An addiction, perhaps? Or a certain friendship with unclear boundaries that you have been turning to for comfort and acceptance?
Let your marriage be the safe space for you and your spouse to be most vulnerable and speak honestly. Choose to work through the matters that are hard to talk about.
Seek out other married couples or mentors for counsel and support. On your own, the problems may seem insurmountable, but in the company of like-minded friends, you may gain new perspectives and encouragement to keep going in your marriage.
The sun is out! You want to enjoy what you can do in this weather, so let’s work hard at enjoying each other more.
Making the best of a sunny marriage
For the husband
What can you do in this weather?
- Keep up the romantic gestures and break out of daily routines to surprise her. Be attentive to your wife’s needs as your lover, not just a great friend.
- Compliment her, making her feel attractive and good about herself. Find ways to fill her love tank so that she is not running on empty.
- Make time and initiate constructive ways to work through issues that come up.
Things to watch out for:
- Avoid treating your wife like a great housemate (or, if you are parents, as just the mother of your children).
- Pay attention to your personal grooming. Just because you are very comfortable with your wife doesn’t mean that your physical appearance shouldn’t matter anymore. She still wants to be attracted to you!
- Enjoy intimacy with your wife. It is about sex, and much more. Emotional intimacy is important to a marriage’s longevity.
Take every opportunity to keep up with date nights, and make them special.
For the wife
What can you do in this weather?
- Encourage your husband to find a few good guy friends to confide in. While it is easier for women to share openly with their girlfriends, husbands may not have such close male friendships.
- Maintain intimacy in your marriage. Communicate your expectations and be proactive in meeting his needs as well.
- Take every opportunity to keep up with date nights, and make it special. Couple time is scarce in this weather, so be intentional to schedule it—and keep to it, even if it is shorter than what you both prefer.
Things to watch out for:
- Do not seethe over bothersome issues. Choose honest and respectful conversations with your husband instead.
- Criticism is toxic in any marriage. Many men “shut down and tune out” when they feel disrespected.
- Beware of unhealthy communication habits, like expecting your husband to know what you are thinking. He may grow to understand you better, but he is not telepathic; you still need to verbalise what’s in your heart.
Couple conversations for this weather
- What brings you most joy in our marriage?
- What is one thing you would like me to do regularly to show how much I appreciate you?
- How can we grow in the areas of physical and emotional intimacy in our marriage?
A thriving marriage in every weather
Marriage is hard work, but worth it.
Every bride and groom enters into their union with a promise to have and to hold, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do they part.
When the marriage hits a rough patch, consider how you can live out your vows. As someone once said: It is not love that sustains the marriage, but marriage that sustains the love.
“I didn’t marry you because you were perfect… I married you because you gave me a promise. That promise made up for your faults. And that promise I gave you made up for mine. Two imperfect people got married, and it was the promise that made the marriage. And when our children were growing up, it wasn’t a house that protected them; and it wasn’t our love that protected them; it was the promise.” – Thornton Wilder
No matter what weather your marriage is in, you can make your relationship with your spouse the best that it can be.
Personalise your experience here at Focus on the Family Singapore
Does articles on “Marriage” interest you? Add them to your favourite topics to get articles recommended for you.
