by Christopher Adams, AMFT
I make this post with some hesitancy. I want to be very honest without justifying the specific pains that come from instances of abuse or blatant mistreatment of a spouse or a loved one.
Bob Marley, is not one that I have ever gone to for advice on how to live a successful life up to this point. However, when I read this quote of his, I was moved by the simple truth that it taught.
“If she’s amazing, she won’t be easy. If she’s easy, she won’t be amazing. If she’s worth it, you won’t give up. If you give up, you’re not worthy. … Truth is, everybody is going to hurt you; you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for.” – Bob Marley
“…Everybody is going to hurt you…” I find it interesting that we make the choice to live with a stranger and somehow believe that we will be nothing but happy for our entire lives. I love the fairy tail and I want that to be true but when reality sets back in I understand that marriage, specifically, is one of the hardest endeavors that we choose to undertake.
John Gottman, a researcher who studies successful marriages, reports that couples who report being happy after 30 years of marriage are those couples that fight. The catch to that is that after they fight, they have learned how to repair the hurts that have been sustained.
IF you have “found the one that is worth suffering for,” don’t give up on your marriage. If they have been that person before, let’s see if they can be that person again before you walk away. Marriage is hard and can be painful at times but it is, in my opinion, worth saving.
Chris is a Marriage and Family
Therapist, specializing in individual,
relationship, and family work.
