“For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.” (2:24 NAS)
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If Jesus forbids divorce (Mark 10:9), how can we insure a strong marriage?
My Cardinal Rules (taken from 20 years of blissful marriage 
)
1. Get married after the age of 30.
You will be emotionally mature. Your finances (a comfortable salary and money in the bank) will be ready for life’s largest expense. No, not a house! A family!
2. When your first child is born, immediately and permanently stop working on your career. You didn’t make it to CEO yet? Tough luck–you have a family to nurture now!
3. Ignore the little faults in your spouse. Everybody has little faults. (Even you!)
My wife never, absolutely never, wipes the counter after she finishes cooking a meal.
This photo is a joke! It is **NOT** our kitchen!
In 20 years, I have probably only twice said to my wife, “How come you never wipe the kitchen counter after yourself?” The rest of the time, I just wipe the counter myself.
If your husband has 10,000 little faults, then you ignore all 10,000.
4. Involve your spouse in every decision. If a decision will affect one of your children, involve that child.
For example, allow your son to pick his after-school activities; he knows best what interests him. Maybe you want your son to grow up to be a U.S. Marine, but your son wants to try ballet.
Guess what–you will have a ballet dancer in the family . . . at least for one school year (and you will love your ballet dancer).
5. Never take your spouse for granted. Still say “Please”, “Thank you”, and other polite expressions even after 10, 20, 30 years or more of marriage.
