seven year itch

my husband and i had a pretty interesting night out with some couple friends last friday. it has been a while since we last went out with them and it was great to get together and catch up on each other. over some booze, our conversation steered into marriage and uh... the seven year itch. infidelity and situations which threaten loyalty was the hot topic of the night. the discussion was too serious, it was hilarious. well, you can blame it on the booze.

all of us have been happily married for the past seven to fifteen years now. apparently, at one point in our marriages, most of us have bumped into a romantically significant person from our past, and invited to an innocent reunion of sorts... badminton, lunch, or dinner? reactions ranged from pleasant surprise to kilig from the spouse involved, and bothered-a-bit to bothered-a-lot from the respective partner. generally, even with trust and a blissful marriage tucked under our belts, the anxiety over a possible seven year itch is real for most, if not all. and it does not necessarily just happen on the seventh year.

i am reminded of a good script on marriage which tells about the 7 L's to a joyful spirit-filled marriage.

Lord. make him present in your marriage. seek His blessing, wisdom, guidance, and power for your life together.

Love. make this your aim, a stable and undying love, which seeks the good of your spouse above your own.

Labor. marriage is a labor of love, sometimes hard work, sometimes easy; sometimes routine and boring, sometimes novel and creative. but always for your spouse "as unto the Lord."

Listening. be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.

Laughter. do not take yourselves too seriously and be enslaved to rigidity. enjoy this gift of laughter often.

Loyalty. let nothing dim your loyalty to one another. outdo one another in showing honor.

Laid-back. take time to enjoy one another. do not be too anxious about the problems of marriage. trust in the Lord and rest in His power.

the bottomline is that it takes three to make a super-duper marriage: man, wife, and the Lord. if we only let Him, He will make our love grow and our happiness overflow in our marriage. He will protect its sanctity and if need be, He will scratch the seven year itch for us.