Ingredients for a Delightful Marriage: Shared Vision

This seventh installment in the ongoing article series offering my recipe for a delightful marriage, we will cover the last “ingredient,” Shared Vision, before moving on to the three key directions for cooking up your best possible relationship experience. Having a shared vision as life partners doesn’t mean you have to see everything the same way. That would actually serve as a liability to your marriage, rather than an asset – as it would leave you with far more vulnerable blind spots, and probably get either boring or irritating rather quickly. And having a shared vision as a married couple also doesn’t mean you must have all the same goals and aspirations in life. Problems of unhealthy competition, acquiescing, jealousy, and resentment would be likely challenges in that scenario. What we touch on today is the benefit of having similar views regarding the most fundamental beliefs in life and being on the same page about your primary goals as a couple and family. 

Cultivating genuine respect for one another’s spiritual beliefs and values is a must. And having similar views and commitments in this regard can be a huge plus for a couple to thrive in a lifetime of partnership together. Sharing the same religious convictions can make this easier, but isn’t a necessity – provided you can see and practice and celebrate the core spiritual/moral underpinnings and practices together. You can celebrate your shared AND differing religious tenets with the right kind of attitude and posture in your ongoing conversations and choices on the journey of life. 

While each of you are likely to have differing specific goals, aspirations, and abilities – in a true partnership, you can work together to help and encourage each other toward individual success and fulfillment. You don’t see one another as an obstacle or competitor or burden. Rather, you bring your varied aims, assets, and liabilities together with humility and willingness – knowing you are both better for your teamwork, even in moments and seasons of personal sacrifice. And just like the sharp-eyed Osprey couple, you find a formula of sharing and dividing the challenges and tasks of life, taking turns as needed. And calling out words of loving encouragement regularly and sharp warning when needed, so you and your family can enjoy life to the full and be the best you can be.