Author Gary Thomas thought he had a good marriage. Then God reminded him of the pledge he made to his wife at their wedding: “I promise to love and cherish you until death do us part.” Thirty-six years later, Gary realized that he hadn’t thought of the word “cherish” in terms of his marriage since the day he spoke the vows.
Determined to change course, Gary set out to understand what it really meant to cherish his wife. That journey lifted their marriage to an entirely new level of delight. Gary says, “Love is the bread of a marriage – sacrifice, service, loyalty, and commitment. Cherish is the jam – it’s what makes the bread delicious.”
The primary difference between loving and cherishing is that love focuses on your obligations to your spouse while cherish focuses on the beauty, the excellence, and the wonder of your spouse.
On Focus on the Family with Jim Daly, I’m airing a recorded talk by Gary Thomas in which he shares three simple tips for better cherishing your spouse:
- Renew the promises you made before God in your wedding vows.
- Don’t compare your spouse to other people.
- Have an exclusive attitude. Recommit to treating your spouse like he or she is the one.
For most of us, loving our spouse is relatively easy. Cherishing him or her is more difficult. Tune in for his full talk on your local radio station, online, on Apple Podcasts, or take us with you on our free phone app. Hear how to improve your marriage and reinvigorate your relationship.
And check out Gary’s book Cherish: The One Word That Changes Everything for Your Marriage, which is available for a gift of any amount. Click here for more information.
Sign up for the weekly e-newsletter
Leave a Reply