While you may never know the reason that your father left you, there is one thing you can be absolutely sure of: You have a Heavenly Father who loves you and will never leave you or forsake you.

All couples fight. And it feels as if we’re fighting about something. But when we look at our conflicts, they can sound pretty insignificant. Big things don’t ensnare us as often as the little things.

The qualities of common kindness, honesty, empathy, loyalty and trust are gifts that each spouse gives to the other. This friendship foundation enhances relationship happiness throughout the marriage.

Providing kinship care as a grandparent can be challenging. But Richard Dixson has embraced the opportunity to parent again.

The adjustment from being single to being married can create feelings of loss and anxiety. Here’s how to cope.

You may want to know how to help and support someone you love who’s in an abusive relationship. Here are several ways that can enable you to be there for them.

Relationship rituals strengthen a marriage if they’re meaningful to both spouses. Check out these ideas to build connection in your marriage.

If you’re experiencing the loss of a prodigal son or daughter who isn’t currently in touch with you, you probably feel helpless. Here are some ways to understand a prodigal child and find hope if you have a prodigal child.

By building a good relationship with your husband’s mom, you can show your husband that you love him. Here are some ways you can reach out to your mother-in-law and create a peaceful family bond.

Self-care is an act of stewardship, or caring well for the life God has given you. Rightly understood, self-care in marriage becomes a gift to your spouse.

What is God’s plan for marriage? Marriage is the full expression and design of God’s image in human beings.

If you’re in a chronically unhappy marriage, you may feel trapped and hopeless. But transformational options exist for those in a stressful marriage.

Francis Chan discusses how having a marriage focused on a mission will require commitment and sacrifice, asking couples if their view of the future is big enough.

Before a married couple can truly love each other, they must know the definition of love. First Corinthians 13:4-5 emphasizes that love is patient and kind.

Physical and emotional problems can challenge any marriage. But with the help of God and good friends, Ken and Joni Eareckson Tada found the strength to persevere in their marriage.

Burn survivor John O’Leary’s story of unconditional love and commitment inspires all to live a life that can overcome fierce obstacles.

Letting in-laws split, manipulate, or control you by silently acceding to their nutty, neurotic, inappropriate demands isn’t necessarily showing Christian love.

Dr. Ron Welch, the author of The Controlling Husband: What Every Woman Needs to Know, shares his story of making his wife and marriage a priority.

If you want a joyful heart but find yourself complaining to your spouse, take action. These simple practices can show you how to stop complaining.

Satan wants to keep you isolated from other Christians so you don’t encourage one another. But fellowship can strengthen your marriage.

I wonder what our lives would be like if we reframed how we thought about our tasks. What if we regularly took time to stop and see how far we’ve come, and then gave thanks for our progress?

When a husband says, “My wife constantly criticizes me,” what do you do? Help him deal with the issue using these tips.

Marriage requires making room for someone else in your life. To add this relationship to your life requires letting go of some of your other commitments and giving your spouse priority consideration.

Couples can find the balance between a busy life and a growing relationship, and they can further enhance their love with these simple, 30-second habits.

Helping others together as a couple can make your marriage stronger.

The Bible tells us to forgive unconditionally, but it doesn’t say we are to forget immediately. Sometimes it takes time to rebuild the trust that’s been lost.

While there’s no one-size-fits-all formula that will instantly revolutionize a mismatched marriage, a few principles can contribute to the health of a relationship.

When expectations are realistic, a difficult reality becomes a lot less difficult. Overcoming blended-family myths.

Long-term problems, like termites, can eat away at the foundation of your marriage. But you can fix a broken relationship by exterminating them.

Do you know the real facts about marriage or just the myths? Find out the positive truth about marriage today.

Does the repartee between you and your spouse consist mainly of shrugs and one-syllable grunts? If so, your marriage-mobile may be heading for a blown gasket.

With our wedding only a couple of months away, I was nervous about the idea of getting pregnant quickly into our marriage. To be honest, I didn’t feel ready to be a dad and wasn’t sure how to share this concern with my fiancé.

If we want our marriage partnership to be beautiful, meaningful and lasting, then we ought to be living out God’s grace by extending it. And that means building each other up one word at a time.

Have you ever wondered if you and your spouse are under spiritual attack or if your spouse is just a jerk?

Praying with your spouse intensifies and strengthens your spiritual bond. When you pray together, your vulnerability with your heavenly Father deepens and enriches your marriage relationship.

It’s hard to describe the pain of walking through your child’s divorce. Here are some ways to deal with the hurt and be a safe place and a firm foundation for them.

You need to confront the what-ifs and how-tos before the separation to lessen the worry.

Heart connection is when two people delight in living their individual lives in a way that breeds trust and consistently adds value to their identity as a pair.

Each day Steve was able to give his cancer diagnosis to God and experience a genuine peace in acceptance. This allowed him to come together with his wife, Pat, emotionally and spiritually.

Ladies, do you find yourself being snarky to your husband way too often? I’ve done that and worse. If I could go back and sit down with my newly married self, here’s what I would tell her.

Is your spouse the same person you married? Your spouse keeps changing in preferences and interests. To stay current, study your spouse to understand, serve and love him or her better each day.

The same need for meaningful touching we see with our children is equally important in a marriage.

Experts identify seasons of marriage prone to producing loneliness. The challenge is to anticipate those lonely periods, learn how to navigate them and turn them into growth opportunities

We will all blow it sometimes. But if you really strive to limit your reckless words, you will create a climate that fosters openness and closeness in your marriage.

For 20 years, I had loved my wife — serving, sacrificing, persevering. But I had conveniently forgotten to consider what it meant to cherish her. To do that, I had to figure out what cherishing meant.

By recognizing the true source of anger, you can create an environment in your marriage that allows for apology and restoration of the relationship.

When you share the chores with a teammate mentality and when your goal is to out-serve each other, you can bring an end to the chore wars in your home.

Bo Stern writes of her husband’s struggle with ALS, testifying to God’s strength being made perfect in their weakness.

The best way to understand how you can nourish your marriage is to ask your spouse to finish this statement: “I feel loved when …”   The answers are a gold mine of  information.

Every popular romance story portrays a loving bond so special it comes just once in a lifetime. How can you ensure that your own romance has a lifetime filled with those happy-ever-after endings?

All the excitement about Valentine’s Day makes it easy for us to spend a day focusing on romantic love, but committing to act in love all year long is more difficult.

Fun ideas for making 15-minute marriage connections

Whether you’re dealing with an unfaithful spouse or a child who is wreaking havoc in your home, rest assured that you, too, can have faith in the dark.

The empty nest years don’t have to be filled with longing for the good ol’ days with the kids. By adding some effort, the two of you can thrive together.

Facing tough times is like paddling a kayak against a strong ocean gale. How do you stay married when life threatens to swamp your relationship?

If you find yourself married to your opposite, rejoice! You have access to a whole new set of skills and strengths that can make life a whole lot more well-rounded.

You think it won’t happen to you, can’t happen to you. You think, There’s no way. Not me! Think again.

To assume that our ability to love another person has its source in our own hearts carries with it the potential to be embarrassing, painful, or dangerous.

Who’s the spiritual leader in your family? Some husbands may be intimidated by their wife and don’t want to fail, so they do nothing. Maybe the best solution is to let God work in their lives.

Maybe you’ve heard about mentoring but don’t really know what it is. Let’s clear up five of the most common misconceptions.

What if this year you give your husband a new marriage? Join Erin Smalley as she takes the challenge and commits to living out the Greatest Commandment in her home.

When your spouse is diagnosed with a chronic illness, you begin to realize that your life, your spouse’s life and your marriage will never again be the same.

Marriage stressors reach a whole new level if one spouse is on the autism spectrum — and the couple isn’t even aware of it. If one spouse has ASD and the other does not, the two have significant differences in the way their brains are wired.

God, the Creator of humanity and of marriage itself, has laid out His plan for marriage as a lifelong union.

Practical steps for developing a fruit of the Spirit in your marriage — patience — which will help you better love your spouse

A simple way to keep your marriage fresh and fun — take every opportunity to share laughter-filled moments with your spouse

For my 12 year anniversary, I’ve highlighted 12 pieces of newlywed advice I wish I could share with the newlywed version of myself.

There are many reasons your spouse may be hesitant to leave the familiar and try something new — even if they really want to.

What questions should you ask a young man who wants to marry your daughter? Answers to these 12 big, important, overarching questions might hold the key to your daughter’s future happiness.

For so many couples, Christmas and the gift-giving experience can move from feelings of anticipation to disappointment. The Palmers share ways to turn frustrating exchanges into opportunities.

All Christians are called to preserve the God-ordained institution of marriage and share with their neighbors its benefits and His ultimate reasons for it.

NO PORN NOVEMBER:

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is not new, but ED is no longer occurring only in middle-aged and older men. Many men with ED are under 40. Research suggests this might be the result of pornography addiction.

A wife can talk about and treat her husband as either an incompetent dad or a wonderful father. Are you willing to frame your husband as a “hero” to your kids?

Unexpected ways to be thankful for your husband

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Relational problems often get worse before they get better. Some husbands wait weeks after the discovery of porn use before they admit to additional bad behavior. Here’s what wives need to know.

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Does viewing pornography as a couple enhance intimacy in marriage? Marital sexuality is to be exclusive. So, pornography not only decreases true intimacy in marriage but actually prevents it.

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You can’t keep hiding. You can’t kick the habit on your own; no one can. If you really want to be free, you’re going to have to open up to others. You’re going to have to learn to be vulnerable.

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Pornography can be an unhealthy substitution for sex with one’s spouse, but often it’s a symptom of a deeper issue and a way to cope with unresolved pain. The user may be avoiding true intimacy.

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You’re ready to quit using pornography. Should you tell your spouse about your struggle? Ask yourself, If I maintain the secret, is that really the intimacy I’ve always longed for in my marriage?

Emotional affairs venture into dangerous territory. They may not lead to physical involvement, but can still devastate marriages.

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Karen was raised in a dysfunctional home where family members did not discuss issues. But as painful as talking about her husband’s use of pornography was, Karen simply could not ignore it.

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Counselors have seen that the major benefits of truth-telling are worth enduring the challenges. Before you tell your spouse about your secret past, you have to admit a few things to yourself.

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Restoring trust in light of your spouse’s pornography addiction

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Perfectionism isn’t healthy for us or our relationships. It feeds discontent. It fosters judgment. So, how do we get out from under the pressure of perfectionism? It all starts with grace.

How can my spouse and I survive my recent job loss? Without my income I can’t see how we’re going to make ends meet. What will we do if I can’t find another employment opportunity?

After two kids and 25 years of marriage, Mike told his family he was leaving. They all thought it was forever

We now have an enormous amount of research on divorce and children, all pointing to the same stubborn truth: Kids suffer when moms and dads split up.

Learn how to deal with the grief that comes from the death of a loved one or from divorce. It includes the stages of grief and provides teens with ideas on how to walk through the process of grief after a loss.

These weeks haven’t been easy. But there are things you can do to lower the stress level and find peace during the coronavirus quarantine.

“Love” can be defined in many ways. Christ’s love for us is an unconditional love, and this is the love we are to seek in marriage.