I recently overheard my daughter, who is getting married tomorrow, sharing with a friend how excited she was that soon she would be married. While the wedding itself matters to her, being married to Evan matters a whole lot more. As she said, “I can’t wait!”

As a dad, I had mixed emotions. At first, I was a little sad that she was so excited about leaving home and moving on in life. Then I quickly remembered how I felt nearly 30 years ago when I was engaged to her mother. Suddenly, I was happy because she was happy.

My prayer is that she will feel that way after 30 years. I know I still do.

Its sad how many marriages begin with excitement but end with disappointment and anger. The fact is that what we do after we say “I do” determines how we feel about the marriage after five years, ten years, twenty years and so on. It’s more of that middle stuff I wrote about in my December 16 blog post (check it out) that people get wrong when a marriage goes wrong.

Maybe 2012 can be a year when you change the direction of your marriage (if that is needed). If your marriage is really good, it can still be better. What practical things can you stop doing or start doing (the middle stuff) to bless both your spouse and your marriage? Write it down and then share it with that very special person in your life.

Remember we are to be excited about being married, not just at the beginning, but “till death do us part.”

Happy New Year,

Pastor Steve Hogg