9 Sure-Fire Ways to Guarantee Your Marriage Will Fail

Things were getting ugly. That’s when the Colgate Pump saved my marriage.

Let me explain.

I squeezed in the middle (or at the end or wherever I picked it up). He had the nerve to suggest we squeeze the tube starting at the very end, so we could neatly roll it up as it emptied.

Married less than a month, and he was trying to control me by telling me where I’m allowed to squeeze the tube? Toothpaste comes out no matter where you squeeze the tube. Before I knew it, we were gridlocked over something stupid.

Thank God for the Colgate Pump. Push the trigger on top. No squeezing involved. Thirty years later, we’re still married and we’re still sharing the same tube of toothpaste.

Toothpaste wasn’t the issue. Have you ever heard someone cite toothpaste as a reason for divorce? Me neither. But minor issues plummet into major ones.

Who goes into marriage thinking of the best way to hurt someone, destroy intimacy and build resentment? No one. But that’s exactly what happens. And that’s why so many marriages end in divorce.

Bad marriages aren’t intentional. They’re unintentional when people make the mistake of failing to focus on the kind of marriage they want.

I can’t tell you how to divorce-proof your marriage. You can’t control someone else’s choices. But I can give you 9 sure-fire ways to guarantee your marriage will fail. Fast.

1. Don’t make room in your life for God.

The closer you are to God, the closer you’ll be to your husband. When you’re focused on pleasing God, it doesn’t matter what he does because your actions aren’t reactions to his. You realize respecting, loving and honoring him is a reflection of your relationship with God, not your relationship with him.

2. Make it a 50/50.

He does his half; you do yours. Sounds fair. But without fail, someone ends up feeling like they’re doing more work than the other person. When we go into marriage with a 100/100 mindset, our focus shifts from receiving to giving. Marriage isn’t 50/50. Divorce is.

3. Don’t disagree.

Studies show couples who argue have healthier relationships than couples who don’t. They don’t look at arguing as a bad as a sign of trouble. They see it as an opportunity to solve a problem.

4. Put him last.

When you put everything and everyone ahead of him, he’ll get the message: He’s unimportant to you. And he’ll start acting like you’re unimportant to him, too. Put him first.

5. Don’t forgive, and don’t forget.

When he hurts you, make him pay. And don’t forget. You’ll be really bitter in no time. The more bitter you get, the less intimate you’ll be.  Work things out. Be quick to forgive. If you can’t, get help.

6. Never tell him you appreciate him.

No matter how confident he seems, he needs to hear you appreciate him. This communicates respect to him. If you’re the breadwinner, tell him you appreciate the effort he puts into the home or your kids. Your appreciation will bear fruit in your marriage.

7. Disrespect him (especially in front of your kids or other people)

Disrespect is a quick way to drive him away and shut down the emotional intimacy you want so much.  Respect is huge for guys. Most of us women don’t get this. We can disrespect our men in ways we don’t even realize are disrespectful. Not because they’re sensitive but because our words go into their brains through their man filter. And that filter doesn’t work the same way yours does. Beware: Respecting your husband is counter-cultural, counter-intuitive, and counter feminist in today’s society. Respect him and he will respond with love. Don’t respect him, and he’ll find respect somewhere else.

8. Make him pay to play.

He needs physical affection from you. Once again, God designed him that way. Using sex as a bargaining tool or a way to control him may encourage him to go someplace where he doesn’t have to work so hard to get his needs met.

9. Anything he can do, you can do, too.

Don’t buy it. Women aren’t designed to be like men. The feminist movement was a good thing, but somewhere between the bra burning of the 60’s and the sexual revolution of the 70’s, the movement took a wrong turn. Let him do what he’s wired to do.

Toothpaste is minor thing. But toothpaste wasn’t the issue. The issue was learning how to put my selfishness aside and figuring out how to accept, appreciate and affirm my husband instead of seeing him as the problem.

When the minors become the majors, a silly thing like toothpaste can squeeze the life right out of your marriage.

What minor issues have turned into major ones in your marriage?

Need skills to build intimacy?

1. Get on the waitlist for my next group coaching session–Change Your Mind; Change Your Marriage.
2. Visit my website,  like my Facebook page and  join my private Facebook group.
3. Check out my FREE resources and download  How to Be A Wife No Man Will Ever Want to Leave.
4. Apply for private coaching with Sheila.