FEBRUARY 2017
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Dr. Dobson’s Principles of Marriage Family
By Diane Simones Are you intentionally investing time in your spouse? To
keep a marriage vibrant and healthy, you have to give it some attention. If we don’t make our mate feel honored and respected, we may find our partner looking for recognition somewhere else. Scripture is clear regarding this matter. The apostle
Paul says, “Honor one another above yourselves” (Romans 12:10). There’s no better place to apply this verse than in your home—with the husband or wife sitting next to you. (Below is a short list of some basic principles for a healthy, lasting marriage, drawn from Dr. Dobson's books
through the years…)
• Guard your family relationships against erosion as though you were defending your very lives. –Love for a Lifetime, p. 111
• Don't permit the possibility of divorce to enter your thinking. Even in moments of great conflict and discouragement, divorce is no easy solution. –Love for a Life- time, p. 103
• A husband and wife should have a date every week or two, leaving the children at home and forgetting their problems for an evening. –The New Dare to Discipline, p. 245
• Both good marriages and bad marriages have moments of conflict, but in healthy relationships, the husband and wife search for answers and areas of agreement because they love each other. –Preparing for Adolescence, p. 100
• A good marriage is not one where perfection reigns; it is a relationship where a healthy perspective overlooks a multitude of "unresolvables." –What Wives Wish Their Husbands Knew about Women, p. 185
• If a husband and wife are deeply committed to Jesus Christ, they enjoy enormous advantages over the family with no spiritual commitment. –Love for a Lifetime, p. 49
• Marital problems are almost inevitable when couples overcommit themselves during the early years. The bonding that should occur in the first decade requires time to- gether—time that cannot be given if it is absorbed elsewhere. Success will wait, but a happy family will not. –Parenting Isn't for Cowards, p. 189
• Marital discord almost always emanates from the poison of disrespect somewhere in the relationship! –Love Must Be Tough, p. 45
• Married life is a marathon. It is not enough to make a great start toward long-term marriage. You will need the determination to keep plugging. Only then will you make it to the end. –Love for a Lifetime, p. 120
• Minor irritants, when accumulated over time, may even be more threatening to a marriage than the catastrophic events that crash into our lives. –The Strong- Willed Child, p. 61
• Committed love is expensive, but it yields the highest returns on the investment at maturity. –What Wives Wish Their Husbands Knew about Women, p. 176
• Men typically derive self-esteem by being respected; women feel worthy when they are loved. –What Wives Wish Their Husbands Knew about Women, p. 64
• The philosophy of "me first" has the power to blow our world to pieces, whether ap- plied to marriage, business, or international politics. –Hide or Seek, p. 186
• Every husband should seek to keep the romantic fires aglow in the relationship, by the use of love notes and surprises and candlelight dinners and unexpected week- end trips. –Straight Talk to Men, p. 125
• Love is not defined by the emotional highs and lows, but is dependent upon a steady and unchanging commitment of the will. –What Wives Wish Their Hus- bands Knew about Women, p. 91
• Where does your marriage rank on your hierarchy of values? Does it get the left- overs and scraps from your busy schedule, or is it something of great worth to be preserved and supported? It can die if left untended. –What Wives Wish Their Husbands Knew about Womenn, p. 99
• If we only realized how brief is our time on this earth, then most of the irritants and frustrations which drive us apart would seem terribly insignificant and petty. –Love for a Lifetime, p. 116
• Prescription for a happier, healthier life: Resolve to slow your pace; learn to say no gracefully; resist the temptation to chase after more pleasures, hobbies, and social entanglements. –What Wives Wish Their Husbands Knew about Women, p. 54
• It may be surprising to learn that human conflict, if properly managed, can be the vehicle for transforming an unstable relationship into a vibrant, healthy marriage. – Love Must Be Tough, p. 8
• A personal relationship with Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of marriage, giving meaning and purpose to every dimension of living. –Love for a Lifetime, p. 52
For over 30 years, Dr. James Dobson has been America’s trusted source
for psychologically sound, biblically based advice to help strengthen mar- riages, parents and families. For more practical help and encouragement, visit:
www.drjamesdobson.org
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