The Ten Commandments of Marriage

1. Thou shalt make time for thy spouse.
   During which you will listen to each other, share with each other, and express emotional love for each other.
2. Thou shalt place thy spouse before all other people.
   Demonstrate to your spouse that he or she is the most important person on this planet to you. Do not use words, let your actions prove it in a manner that will be easy to see.
3. Thou shalt not take the name of thy spouse in vain.
   Always speak positively about your spouse to all others. Never agree with someone else who has a problem with your spouse. If you have a problem with your spouse, go see a counselor.
4. Remember your wedding day, to keep it important in your mind.
   Remind yourself often that you married him or her because you wanted to spend time with your spouse, to do things with your spouse, and to spend the rest of your life with him or her.
5. Honor thy spouse, that thy marriage may be long-lasting.
   Demonstrate gratitude toward each other, do not just expect for your spouse to be grateful to you. Demonstrate your gratitude with patience, faithfulness, loyalty, and friendship.
6. Thou shalt not murder thy spouse’s self-esteem.
   Confront when necessary, but do not use vulgar and demeaning language regarding him or her. Be angry when it’s required, but do not harm your spouse. Always lift him or her up with encouraging words, and with your actions.
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
   Adultery comes in various forms. Sexual adultery (intercourse is involved), Physical adultery (intimate touching and caressing is involved), Relational adultery (secret meetings and conversations [even by internet and texting]), Emotional adultery (fantasies of another person, with the idea that one would engage with them if the chance presents itself). Adultery is about deception and betrayal, not sex. Remember this, “What a tangled web we weave, when we set out to deceive.”
8. Thou shalt not steal what belongs to thy spouse.
   When you spend time with someone else, at the expense of your spouse, you have stolen their time. If you complement other men or women, but do not complement your spouse, you have stolen love from him or her. And so on.
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy spouse
   Be truthful to your spouse. This does not mean you cannot fool them to get them to a surprise party, it means that your spouse should never have reason to doubt your word, because you have lied to him or her. Lying is the fastest way to destroy the trust that is needed in a marriage for it to blossom and get better.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s anything
    Greed is a seed which will grow to branch out into every part of your marriage. It will cause couples to think of their money and property as yours and mine. Texas law does not provide for a distorted “yours and mine” ideology within marriage. In this state, what is yours is theirs, and what is theirs is yours. This includes the bills, house, children, your wages, everything. Greed will turn you against each other to the point that there may not be a chance of repairing the marriage.

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