Ingredients for a Delightful Marriage: GRACE

So far in our recipe for how to create and maintain a delightful marriage relationship, we have covered the importance of work and play. Now let’s talk about an often overlooked element that makes such a difference, one might even call it the secret ingredient to this recipe: Grace! What I’m talking about here is that commitment to doing something extra in the way of blessing your spouse, as often as possible. It’s a lifestyle of looking for opportunities to do things that make life better for your wife or husband, simply because you love them – not because they’ve somehow earned or deserve it. It’s showing extra patience, because that’s what you’d appreciate if you were in their shoes right now. Grace is giving up something you’d really enjoy, knowing whatever you’re doing instead is more important to him or her – and actually feeling joy about being able to do so. 

My wife practices a life of grace as well as anyone I’ve ever known. Her thoughtfulness, kindness, and quiet diligence in blessing me, along with her friends and family, is truly a gold standard. This picture of the two of us behind our house during the recent (January 2025) historic snowfall in Baton Rouge reminds me how much I love the ways we continue learning to practice grace in our marriage. For example, grace is me knowing and diligently respecting her challenges with things like tricky walking surfaces and balance. Grace is her getting decked out to trudge outside in the frozen landscape for a picture, because she knows how much I love capturing moments like this. It’s her going for nature walks with me, even though that is neither her interest nor her comfort zone, simply because she loves me so much. And it’s me letting go of opportunities to snap pictures or seek after that bird I just heard calling, because holding on to her to keep her secure and safe is so much better. 

I could go on and on with the wonderful ways God has enriched our marriage by blessing us with the practice of grace on the daily. But the point here isn’t to highlight how delightful my marriage is – it’s to help you experience this kind of delightful relationship in your own life. Does it take extra effort to practice the generosity of grace? You bet it does! And it’s not always easy. And doesn’t always feel good in the moment, either. But does it fill your life and your home with far greater blessings of joy, connection, strength, and positivity energy? More than I can possibly describe with words!