“Love is a deliberate and determined act of the will. There is nothing idle or passive about it.”
— Jimmy Evans
FaithGateway Today

The Secret of Every Happy Marriage 
 by Jimmy Evans from Strengths Based Marriage 

Meet Jimmy Evans

For Our Strengths To Be Dynamic

I have conducted marriage seminars all over the world for many years. In my talks I often ask a question that gets the same response wherever I ask it. There are actually two questions I ask. The first is: “How many of you grew up in a home where one parent was clearly dominant over the other parent?” Immediately 70 to 80 percent of the people in the room put their hands up.

Then I ask my second question: “How many of you who just put your hands up believe that it had a negative impact on your parents’ marriage and the family?” Every hand that was raised the first time goes back up. It always amazes me that the response is so predictable and immediate.

In most marriages there is a dominant spouse. That means if the marriage is a corporation, then one spouse owns more stock than the other. They have more say in decision-making. Either through force of personality, manipulation, domination, or some other means, one spouse controls the other. It kills the intimacy and goodwill of the relationship, and it is a gender-neutral issue. There are just as many dominant men as women.

Research has proven that one of the most important elements of success in marriage is shared control. When spouses respect each other and make decisions together, intimacy and happiness skyrocket. That is what marriage is all about. When you are sharing control of the marriage and making decisions together, you are sharing life. And that is why we get married.

But when one spouse dominates the other, everything changes. The person being dominated feels disrespected. If it is a man being dominated, he will often feel emasculated and deeply resentful of the way his wife treats him. This often causes him to emotionally withdraw from the relationship, which typically causes more anger and dominant behavior from his wife. The emotional distance she senses will often cause her to become even more aggressive.

If a woman is being dominated, she, too, will feel disrespected. This will naturally cause her to feel insecure and unloved. The fact that her husband doesn’t solicit her input and treat her as an equal strikes at the heart of her need for intimacy and connection. The longer she is dominated, the more she loses respect for her husband and any sense of unity with him.

Marriage only works when it is a shared relationship on all levels. When Karen and I got married, I dominated her in every way. Not only do I have a strong personality but also I am a very fast talker. I am never at a loss for words, and I can process information very quickly. Karen is the exact opposite. She processes information slower, and it takes her awhile to decide what she wants to say. Early in our marriage I was a jerk. First of all, I dominated our home and the decision-making. I felt that I was better than Karen and knew more than she did. Second, I didn’t take responsibility for my behavior. When Karen would confront me about something I had said or done, I became a “prosecuting attorney” and basically shouted her down and tried to convince her that she was the problem.

We had no intimacy and were on the brink of divorce. But thanks to God and a good wife, I changed. In looking back on my days as a dominant husband, I realize how exhausting it was. It is hard work being god. And that is who I thought I was. I thought somehow I had the God-given right to dominate Karen and our home.

I look back on those years as the worst time in my life and our marriage. Everything I expected in marriage was turned upside down. Everything I expected from Karen was ruined by my selfish and arrogant behavior. Our differences were a mangled mess and the source of untold tension. And much of my dominant behavior was designed to erase our differences and conform Karen into my image.

On the day I changed, I apologized to Karen and asked her to forgive me. I told her I would never again dominate or demean her, and from that day forward we would make all our decisions together. I told her she could be completely honest and I would never make her pay a price for doing so. And since that day, almost forty years ago, we have acted as a team. In our “corporation” we both own equal shares of stock. And in our “corporation” we are very successful and happy partners.

For our strengths to be dynamic and not dangerous, there has to be total equality.

There cannot be a shred of dominance by either spouse. In our marriage, we are both submitted to God and we submit the decisions of our home to God in prayer. Therefore, we aren’t two stubborn people butting heads. We are two humble and submitted people trying to find the best solution and direction in our marriage.

Dominance in marriage is solved in two ways. First, the dominant person has to sit down and begin to respect his or her spouse and treat that person as an equal. Second, the dominated person must stand up and lovingly demand respect. As the dominant person humbles himself or herself and sits down, and as the dominated person asserts himself or herself and stands up, they will find themselves looking eye to eye as equals. And that will change everything. From that position, marriage becomes fulfilling; and the differences that were once so dangerous become dynamic. From that position — and only from that position — is true and lasting happiness experienced.

~ Jimmy Evans, Marriage Expert

 

Learn more... Watch The Video: Strengths Based Marriage

Watch The Video

WATCH NOW



Excerpted with permission from Strengths Based Marriage by Jimmy Evans and Allan Kelsey, copyright Jimmy Evans and Allan Kelsey.


Send via Email
|  Share on Facebook    

  

* * *

Your Turn

Come share your thoughts with us on our blog. We want to hear from you about having a happy marriage, one with total equality.
  

COMMENT
 
 

Don't Miss This $5 Deal

Save 70% off
Strengths Based Marriage: Build A Stronger Relationship By Understanding Each Other's Gifts

by Jimmy Evan and Allan Kelsey


How to have a happier, stronger marriage by applying the concepts from the popular StrengthsFinder assessment to your relationship.

Save on this book today!

Hardcover, regular: $16.99
Sale: $5.00

(70% off)

SHOP NOW
  

ABOUT STRENGTHS BASED MARRIAGE

Marriage expert Jimmy Evans and strengths expert Allan Kelsey show readers how to have a happier, stronger marriage by applying the concepts from the popular StrengthsFinder assessment to their relationship.

One of the biggest obstacles to a happy, strong marriage is a lack of understanding of yourself and your spouse. With Strengths Based Marriage, MarriageToday cofounder Jimmy Evans and Gallup-trained strengths advocate Allan Kelsey give readers the tools they need to dismantle that hurdle and develop a deeper and richer relationship.

Applying the revelatory concepts from the popular Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment to marriage (assessment itself not included in purchase price), Evans and Kelsey break new ground in helping readers understand themselves and others.

With chapters on “Stopping the Cycles of Pain,” “Speaking Love to Your Spouse’s Heart,” and “Secrets of Successful Marriages,” the book details practical ways to apply these profound insights to your marriage every day. 

Utterly practical and deeply insightful, Strengths Based Marriage will forever change the way you see yourself, your spouse, and your marriage.


Learn more and shop now...

 

What People Are Saying About the Book

“What an incredible book for couples! We’ve been waiting for a resource like this and Jimmy and Allan are just the two to write it. Don’t miss out on this grounded, practical and invaluable message.”

— Drs. Les & Leslie Parrott, authors of "Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts"

“I can’t think of two people more qualified to write a book about how to have a strengths-based marriage than leading marriage expert Jimmy Evans and strengths coach Allan Kelsey. You’ll discover how you were uniquely created and how your strengths allow you to connect with your spouse on a deeper level. I know these revolutionary truths can radically transform hurting marriages and make healthy marriages even stronger."

— Robert Morris, Founding Senior Pastor, Gateway Church

 

Inspired by today's message? Share it with someone!
 
Facebook Share Share on Twitter Pinterest
 

FaithGateway Today ~ our mission is to help you grow and share your faith.

Copyright © 2018 HarperCollins Christian Publishing, All Rights Reserved.
501 Nelson Place, Nashville, TN, 37214 USA
Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy
Manage Your eMail Preferences or Unsubscribe