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Even though communication is an essential tool in marriage, it can only be effective when a couple is able to practice the act of listening to one another. This may sound easy but often impossible to accomplish making conflict resolution difficult in many marriages. In some cultures, the husband is responsible for making the decisions while the wife is accustomed to listening and taking instructions without expressing her own opinion which can lead to cohesive control making the woman feel threatened in her own marriage. Perhaps your marriage is struggling today because your spouse lacks listening skill, and you try your best to stay calm to avoid conflict. Break the barrier In a healthy relationship, both parties must be willing to practice the act of listening to each other and this is often a barrier even from the courtship period. Some spouses take this for granted and make a connection to their partner’s character to justify the bad habit which can lead to emotional abuse and b...

One of the most discouraging and spirit-weakening experiences in the lives of humans is a waiting period. Waiting to satisfy a hunger, quench a thirst and have a promise fulfilled is not always pleasant. The season can be painful and stressful. You may have worked on a job for years and yet the due promotion is not coming. You may have wasted so much money trying to relocate from your present abode and travel abroad and yet the visa isn’t coming. You may have been married for a long time and the baby is not coming. Maybe you are a young woman, and you have been expecting to start your own family but no man is asking for your hands in marriage. You are gifted in your craft but it seems that the gift is not making a way for you. You have the business acumen and are very savvy about buying and selling but have no funds to start. You are a preacher who carries the anointing but there is no prominent platform for you to be heard. You may have also invested all your life in politics and gove...

Valentine’s Day has come and gone leaving many people with mixed feelings, for some couples. It was the most amazing celebration together exchanging lovely gifts, romantic dinner, and a cozy night in each other’s arms. For some other couples, Valentine’s Day was like every other day which could have been different if one or both made the extra effort to communicate their feelings before the day. The truth is that many couples fall out after Valentine’s Day due to undue pressure of expectations and complete disappointments from lack of fulfillment. Perhaps one begins to wonder why this single day in a year can be so sentimental and significant enough to wreck relationships and vows meant to stand the test of time. Validate your feelings Valentine’s Day often sends the wrong impression of love in many ways due to the social media campaigns to commercialise the day which many also believe has devalued the key purposes of true love. It is not unusual to feel unhappy and resentful after Val...

It takes a lot of effort to create a genuine sense of partnership and commitment in marriage and the couple’s individual characters have a huge stake in this process. The greatest joy of marriage is finding a soulmate, someone to love and trust. But when a certain character such as jealousy finds a place in your marriage, it can become a thin line between love and hate. Many terrible situations in marriage can be avoided if couples pay more attention to their own behaviours and the events that can trigger them.When you have self-awareness, you are more likely to understand your own feelings and the impact it has on your own wellbeing and other relationships above your marriage. A little drop of jealousy A little dose of jealousy can be great for your marriage as it expresses the feelings your spouse has for you and when it is coming from a place of love, it can safeguard your marriage from challenging situations. Jealousy is a normal human behaviour and everyone displays it at one ti...