GET RID OF THE "BALL AND CHAIN"!!

Popular counselors and teachers spend a lot of time encouraging people to work on their marriage. The suggestions are many, and one could get bogged down with all of the "work" involved in making a marriage fulfilling.

So instead, I would like to offer a few very simple, very easy steps to destroy your marriage - it really is much simpler.

1 - Keep God, His word, and any form of His influence out of your life.
2 - Wait for your spouse to think, act, or talk lovingly first.
3 - Discontinue the things you did to attract your spouse - dates, gifts, flattery, etc.
4 - Complain as much as possible - if something annoys you, let your spouse know.
5 - Make sure your needs are met first, if you have any time/energy left, meet their needs.
6 - Pour yourself into your work, your hobbies, your children, your own interests.
7 - Spend money on things you like - do not bother to discuss them with your spouse.
8 - Build relationships with other people that make you feel good.
9 - Hang out with people that devalue marriage as much as you do.
10 - Talk about your spouse to others - make sure others know everything they do wrong.
11 - Imagine what life would be like living with someone else.
12 - Spend as little time as possible with your spouse.
13 - Ignore problems - they will go away eventually.
14 - Keep separate bank accounts - use the words "mine" and "yours" often.
15 - Remind your spouse that a divorce lawyer is only a phone call away.

I guarantee that this will work - if you do these things, it won't be long until you will be freed from your lifelong vow of marriage.

However, with every guarantee, a warning must be given. Be careful what you wish for - your freedom might come at a much higher cost than you can imagine. The grass may look greener on the other side, but it still has to be mowed.

I will say this from personal experience, to do the opposite of these things would be a mountain of work, but the rewards are amazing. True satisfaction is available in marriage only when we put the work into it - just like anything else in life.

If you would like encouragement in your marriage, or need help in developing good habits (unlike the ones listed above), please feel free to contact me - I'd love to talk with you about it.