Marriage Is a Team Sport

Audio By Carbonatix

Most of us love to watch sports. And a big part of the draw is to watch many different players come together and work as one. The whole team must be united for the same cause—to win! I think marriage is a team sport too. A husband and wife come together to build a life and, as we like to say around here, to win at home. What does that mean? It usually means that you’re communicating well, having fun, working out problems easily, sharing intimacy regularly, and for many couples, sharing a strong faith together. You are each contributing in some way to the running of the household, and everything is just clicking on all cylinders.

In your marriage, you and your spouse are the superstars. But like every team, you need to have some depth behind you because your relationship will not be in a good rhythm every day, and that might even be the case for long stretches. Some days, you will be fighting against each other instead of working together for the same cause. It’s a natural part of being in a long-term relationship. This is when you have to rely on your bench. Of course, in marriage, that doesn’t mean you have other people stepping into the game for you, but you have a depth in your relationship that you can rely on.

That depth could evolve from meeting with marriage mentors regularly or when your relationship is losing in some way. This is a couple you trust that can speak into your marriage. You can strengthen your marriage by attending marriage conferences regularly so that your relationship stays fresh and your bond as a team remains solid. Maybe it means seeing a counselor or coach annually for a check-up to talk about how to take your relationship to the next level.

Every couple experiences periods of time when they struggle to remember they’re on the same team. They get into arguments and start battling like a championship is at stake—but a championship where one of them will win and the other will lose. This happens so easily in marriage because of pride. It’s one of the main reasons couples end up at odds with each other.

When couples forget they’re on the same team, they stop fighting for their relationship and instead wrestle each other for position—to make a point and be right. I want to remind you today that you shouldn’t be battling one another for championship rings, but fighting together to win at home.