A Joyful Marriage - Week 34
By Amy Miller
I’m still shocked about Chris Pratt and Anna Farris splitting up 😩. Being a celebrity and being married is not easy. I’ve written about how celebrity marriages face different struggles than everyday marriages face. Even though their marriage ultimately ended, I’m still obsessed with this marriage advice he gave, “At least touch toes.” If you’ve read it, I hope you can see the sense he makes. I also see so much of the learning that took place to discover this tip himself.
With them breaking up, it’s the perfect example to me that even though your marriage may be struggling, you can still give sound marriage advice. Because you’re learning through your struggles, right?
This realization is what gave me comfort 6 years ago when I was wanting to more seriously pursue a career in counseling. But I was in a sinking ship of a relationship myself and was struggling for months to make it better. I kept thinking to myself, “How can I go into a profession that helps people fix their relationship problems when I can’t even fix my own?”
Well guess what? There’s so much power in learning! There’s so much power in getting educated on good principles of relationships whether it’s in a college degree or a self-help book. There’s also a lot of power in learning and growing through your own experiences; especially if you try to apply the principles you are learning.
Joy through the complexity
I believe marriage is unlike any other relationship you have or have ever experienced before because of the different levels of complexity in it. Realizing that marriage is a learning process and that we can afford ourselves some patience is something that has brought me joy this week. I am filled with joy knowing that I can pick up a self-help book, learn something, and apply it. I am filled with joy knowing that I can go talk to a friend or a professional if I need help figuring something out personally or relationally. I am filled with joy knowing that my weaknesses are building blocks to growth as an individual and as a spouse. The same goes for my husband, and the same goes for all of us. :)