Entering into marriage is like walking into an uncultivated garden. Instead of it being full of lush green grass and brightly coloured flowers, it is simply a plot of earth! The garden will remain so until two loving hearts work on it with spades, fresh soil, seeds and saplings.
Plant the Seeds
Generally Muslim couples begin married life not knowing much about each other. Many make the mistake of simply getting down to the business of married life: cooking, cleaning and earning a wage. They forget communication, the only way to plant the seeds of love in each other’s hearts. Eventually those seeds will grow into the strongest force of love to cement the union permanently. Couples should strive to find out everything about their spouse by speaking.
Remove the Weeds
When two people, no matter how much love they share, are in a confined space together day in and day out, they will have disagreements. Those can be about silly things, like who left the cap off the toothpaste, or more serious matters. Regardless of the source, anger and discontentment in marriage (the unwelcome weeds) are to be taken seriously as quite often they can overwhelm a couple. Communication, again, is the best way to deal with those marital disagreements.
Water Every Day
Like any garden, the seeds of love need daily watering: actions that build your spouse up rather than tear them down. E.g. being grateful, showing good manners, showing respect, or adding a bit of romance with gifts.
Adapted from article by S Meehan, Sisters Magazine
