According to Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott, these are the five best tools every good marriage uses to battle bad things.
1. Ownership: Taking responsibility for the good as well as the bad
2. Hope: Believing that good wins over bad
3. Empathy: Walking in your partner’s shoes
4. Forgiveness: Healing the hurts you don’t deserve
5. Commitment: Living the love you promised
This list is a tall order for mere mortals, but it is within reach. With God’s help, you can find the power you never dreamed of possessing to bring each of these qualities to life in your marriage.
1. Ownership: Taking Responsibility for the Good and the Bad
2. With Hope: Believing that Good Wins Over Bad
The Power of Hope
3. Empathy: Walking in your Partner’s Shoes
The Heart of Love
The History Factor
4. Forgiveness: Healing the Hurts you Don’t Deserve
Forgiveness Stinginess
5. Commitment: Living the love you promise
Why Some Marriages Last So Long
Two Kinds of Commitment
Used with permission from the book When Bad Things Happen to Good Marriages
by Les and Leslie Parrott.
