Jim Daly

If marriage makes the headlines these days it’s usually for negative reasons, such as a recent survey indicating that while eighty-three percent of young people would like to get married someday, eighty-five percent of them think an official union isn’t necessary to “have a fulfilling and committed relationship.”  

According to official statistics, marriage rates have dropped 60 percent over the last fifty years, and those cohabitating have risen exponentially. Not surprisingly, singleness is also going up.

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According to the National Science Foundation, people think an average of 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts per day.

Eighty percent of those thoughts are negative.

And 90% of those thoughts are repetitive.

That’s why author Ted Lowe – the founder and director of MarriedPeople.org, an organization dedicated to strengthening marriages – says one of the best things you can do for your marriage is learn how to change your mind.

Embracing a positive mindset boosts confidence, wards off depression and anxiety, and helps manage stress.

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Fifteen years into their marriage, an otherwise normal lunch date between Carey and Toni Nieuwhof turned into a disastrous argument.

As they remember it now, Carey complained about something, which triggered Toni to shut down, which compelled Carey to persist in his argument, which escalated Toni’s emotions until she exploded in anger. By the end of the lunch, Toni was so frustrated that she threw her wedding ring at him and said, “I don’t want this anymore.”

It’s heartbreaking to see married couples reach a point of desperation and hopelessness.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: family, marriage