Well everyone, this little miniseries is over now, and it’s time to talk about commitment.  I’ve only been married for six months, so this is going to be mainly things that people with “successful” marriages have told me.

• Love is not an emotion, it’s a verb.  This sounds odd to Americans, but the feeling we call love in America is more accurately called lust or infatuation.  A til-death-do-us-part marriage is one where love is an action shared by both the man and the woman.
• Your spouse is the most important person in your family to you.  Another shocker to me, I thought that the children were the most important people in a family.  It was explained to me like this: if you hold your spouse in high regard, your children see that and hold her in high regard as well, if she also holds you in high regard, then it is now important that children respect their elders.  This also means that your spouse is more important than your parents and extended relatives.
• Sell-out to your marriage.  Buy hand carved signs with your last name and post them on the door to your home.  Buy matching outfits.  Plan family picnics in the park, and candles after dark.  Be THAT couple.  I guarantee you will still be THAT couple decades later.

 So that concludes the Fortify Your Marriage series.  As always any additional comments are encouraged, as are criticisms.