Marriage and football: 4 key ingredients for success in both

Wouldn’t it be nice if marriage came with a playbook like football? In order to score, make all the right plays. Try not to fumble, and avoid an interception at all costs. Unfortunately, what makes a successful marriage is not so simple. Human emotions are involved, and those emotions come from a long history of living that was around before we even met our spouse. What works for one couple may not work for another couple. It goes without saying that we are going to hurt one another. Sometimes we will hurt our spouse intentionally, and sometimes unintentionally  Sometimes we want to stay in for the entire game. Other times we want to walk out before the final score. Sometimes we just want to sit on the bench and wait to see what happens. Despite all of this, marriage actually does have some things in common with football. Without these things, neither a football team or a husband/wife team stands much of a chance of success:
     Commitment. A football team who doesn't really care whether or not it wins or loses is not very committed. Imagine the Super Eagle and how they would be playing without a sense of commitment. Not only would they give up after every missed play, fumble or interception… they would give up on the game entirely. A husband and wife team who are ready to throw in the towel at the slightest upset is not committed either. In a marriage, the doors need to be locked from the outside so that the couple cannot easily walk away when there is a problem. It forces them to face the issue at hand and work through it rather than escape the situation.
       Respect. Imagine the Super Eagle and how it would be if the players did not respect each other. The players would all be blaming each other for not performing to their own expectation . Nothing positive would come from it. It would be chaos on the field. Everybody would be doing their own thing, refusing to accept any responsibility.­ There would be an atmosphere of total selfishness. Likewise, a marriage where the partners do not respect one another will also be a marriage filled with chaos.
     Trust. Members of a football team such as the Super Eagle must develop a trust relationship with each other. When the quarterback throws the ball to the running back, he needs to trust that the running back is going to do his best to catch the ball and gain yardage for the team. Likewise, in a marriage, it is essential that husbands and wives trust one another… knowing that all decisions made are made for the good of the entire marriage. In any kind of trusting relationship, the relationship will survive setbacks and overcome obstacles, knowing that the good of the relationship is always the ending goal.
     Communication. Imagine how it would be if there was no communication between the players of the Super Eagle. Nobody would know what was going on. One player might be going for one type of play whereas another player might have something entirely different in mind. Likewise, in marriage, communication is absolutely essential. Misunderstandings are the cause of a lot of marital conflict and could have been avoided with better communication between partners. Marriage and football hold a lot of similarities despite their differences. Comparing marriage and football is a fun way to discuss marriage with your spouse, so don’t be afraid to bring it up. You’ll be surprised what an interesting discussion you will have.