Wow. That’s what I said after reading this quote from Leo Tolstoy of all people:

“What counts in making a happy marriage is not so much how compatible you are, but how 

you deal with incompatibility.” 

(Go ahead and say it, “Wow!”)

So what about you? How do you deal with incompatibility? Do you slip into silent mode and radiate a chill that could cure global warming? Do you erupt like Mount St. Helens in a cloud of burning words and molten anger? Do you shift into a defeated spirit of denial and indifference?

Or do you actually do the hard work of dealing with your incompatibilities constructively even though it might require you to bare your soul and risk getting hurt in the process?

Let me tell you what some of the people reading this post are thinking. They’re thinking, “My spouse and I have a great marriage and are super comfortable in our relationship. In 

fact, we don’t have any conflict or problems.”

Yeah, right. 

Every marriage has conflict and problems, and if you don’t think so then guess what? You’re in the middle of a problem right now and don’t even know it.

Every marriage takes work to be healthy, happy and strong. Every marriage can be strengthened, more deeply nurtured, and further improved.

So our marriage tip for you this week is this: Don’t fret about your incompatibilities — and

certainly don’t throw your marriage away because of them! 

Instead, do the tough work of dealing with them as this is the pathway to a happy marriage.

Truth is, couples can be too comfortable with their marriage. This is a problem because it 

can lead to complacency. Marital complacency is a sneaky little problem.It may be time to give some thoughtful attention to your marriage, especially with regards to complacency to see if it’s a problem that is lurking in your marriage.