Whether you are newlyweds, or you’ve been married for forever, you want a thriving marriage. But the reality is, life comes at us fast and things aren’t always as healthy as they should be. Kids, careers, financial strains.

There are plenty of things that can take a marriage from healthy to unhealthy very fast.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

As we read in 1 Corinthians, love is more than a feeling, it is full of action. But how does that look in your daily life? Here are five tips for making your marriage thrive:

1. Pray together – Pray for your marriage. Praying together is the most important thing you can do. Invite your spouse to pray, but don’t force it on them. Let it happen organically.
2. Communicate – Good communication strengthens the relationship, poor communication weakens it.
3. Be teachable – Marriage is a work in progress. You and your spouse are constantly changing, growing and learning new things about each other.
4. Surround yourself with community – We preach all the time here at Men of Iron that men cannot do life alone. It’s the same thing with your marriage, you need others around you who can encourage and lift you up you through hard times.
5. Be intimate – Relational and sexual intimacy keeps a marriage from diminishing into little more than a legally arranged partnership. Sex is a gift to married couples from God.