Marriage is tough.

I can only imagine how lonely life would be without this gift from God. Yet, the truth that should dissipate unrealistic expectations is that marriage takes work.

A healthy marriage relationship takes two commitments. One from the husband and one from the wife. Song lyrics of years gone by said, “It takes two.” Long before them, the writer of Ecclesiastes said, “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil” (4:9). Yes, a good marriage takes work, but the rewards are well worth the efforts.

Today I want to share seven tidbits of helpful insight about marriage. If you’ll put their tips into practice, your marriage is sure to grow in resiliency.

For this list, I’ve drafted the help of two of my favorite female Millennials. You’ll be reading the thoughts of Brittany Monteleone and Alex Strickland. Brittany is married to Jeremy, and she’s my favorite daughter. Alex is married to my oldest son Will, and she’s my favorite daughter-in-law.

1. As much as possible, married couples should pray, study, and worship together. This ensures mutual growth in Christ and aids the oneness of the marriage covenant. – Brittany
2. Accept that you don’t know it all. No individual is equipped with all the right answers for married life. Most of us don’t even understand the questions. – Alex
3. You should learn to love God more than your spouse, so you can love your spouse with the love of God. If you aren’t right with God, you’ll have a hard time staying right with others, especially your spouse. – Brittany
4. Grow more in love with your spouse by learning more about your spouse every week. We read the Word of God to learn and fall deeper in love with Him, and we should do the same with our spouse. – Alex
5. Your marriage is more important than binge-watching the latest Netflix series or processing the next pile of laundry. So take the time to communicate. Use your words to let your spouse know what’s on your mind. Use your ears to listen carefully to your spouse. – Brittany
6. Don’t go to bed with unresolved issues. Even if you’re tired and worn out, your marriage is SO worth staying up as long as it takes to come back together as one. Sometimes, Will and I fight passionately. But if we have to, we will stay up late and resolve our differences. – Alex
7. Physical intimacy is important. So make time for it, even if it’s somewhat of a sacrifice. – Brittany

There you have it! Who knew such wisdom could come from Millennials?! Perhaps these ladies have learned from the good examples set before them. Wisdom tells me that they’ve also learned from the mistakes they’ve seen.

Do any of their tips resonate with you? If you’re a millennial, how would you expand this list? Feel free to ask a question or make a comment in the space below.