Marriage is difficult. Few people would argue with that statement. The divorce rate in America is near 50%. People spend more time preparing for job interviews than a life-long commitment. People spend more time at work than at home with their families. Our culture encourages sexual images on television, cohabitation, and ignoring our marriage vows. It’s easy to see all of these factors and feel like the deck is stacked against couples staying together. Now consider the additional difficulty of living in a military marriage. Your spouse is frequently deployed, gone on training missions, or working long into the night.
Military marriages require devotion and work to succeed. You can help turn the tide by strengthening your marriage. Take time to reconnect after a deployment. Take time to focus on one another. Take time to get away and renew the love you have for each other.
Toward the end of my first deployment, my wife suggested that we attend a marriage retreat. I didn’t know how to take the suggestion at first. My boots had not even left the sand box and she wanted to work on our relationship! It turned out that her idea was just a suggestion on making our marriage better. It was not implying that something was broken or jacked up beyond repair. In fact, it was a great idea. We attended a faith-based “Festival of Marriage” event and we learned some new ways to improve our marriage. Anytime a military couple makes the effort to improve their relationship, they are on the right track.
Attorneys, doctors, social workers, and yes, even chaplains, are required to get a set number of continuing education hours each year. This is encouraged to keep professionals current on the latest ways of helping their clients. We should show the same devotion to stay current in our marriages.
Take time to attend conferences, presentations, marriage retreats, and faith-based marriage enrichment workshops. Any nugget of knowledge that you find may help your marriage or allow you to encourage another military couple.
One upcoming event is focused on sexual purity. Feel free to check out Men of Valor, Women of Virtue, or Youth 4 Truth at http://afa-ksmo.net
Know that military chaplains also offer Strong Bond events for married couples and single soldier events. You can find a military marriage retreat near you at http://www.strongbonds.org
Find a way to strengthen your military marriage today.
God Squad 