My friend, Amy Morgan is a major part of leading National Marriage Week’s amazing marriage content programing. Every night from February 7th through February 13th top marriage experts from the USA and abroad will inspire you with great insights. It’s a wonderful program with an amazing line up or marriage thought leaders. This blog will tell you all about it. For more information read the blog and go to marriage week.org.
Your favorite streaming platform will be pulling out all the stops this Valentine’s season to showcase romance. Whether it’s Sleepless in Seattle or The Wedding Planner — there are entire channels (and Hollywood performers) devoted to the genre. But what’s more romantic are the stories of couples whose relationship has grown deeper over the years.
The most beautiful part about Nicholas Sparks’ The Notebook was not the characters’ “meet cute,” nor even how they overcame obstacles to be together because they were “meant to be.” No, it was the dedication Noah showed to his wife, despite her declining memory, that was the testament to their devotion. Their relationship remained strong throughout the years – an accomplishment far more valuable than simply falling in love.
Consider a senior couple celebrating a milestone anniversary. How has their marriage stood the test of time and elevated their individual strengths to leave a lifetime legacy exponentially greater than the sum of their parts? Can we learn from their example?
This Valentine’s Day, what if we focused on what’s truly romantic rather than fleeting fancies. Let’s discover how love and commitment between a husband and wife can grow and allow them to pursue their highest calling. One of the most powerful, yet often overlooked, elements of a strong marriage is purpose.
Wonder how to get started? This year, learn from the experts. The National Marriage Week team will offer an online panel discussion at 7 p.m. every night from February 7 to 13 that features national marriage leaders who’ll share their experiences helping couples grow Together with Purpose (the 2026 NMW theme). Topics include Discovering Your Goals & Purpose, Building a Shared Life, and Leaving a Legacy with experts like Dr. Gary Chapman, Shaunti and Jeff Feldhahn, Proverbs 31 writer Sharon Jaynes, vision casters Greg and Julie Gorman and HomeWord’s own Jim Burns. Couples can learn how to build a strong marriage foundation, create meaningful lives and serve to impact the world when they intentionally align their purposes and vision in marriage. The YouTube broadcasts are free, but viewers need to register to get the link: marriageweek.org.
The National Marriage Week website offers other free resources to help marriages grow and become stronger. Download a Couples Connection Guide, date night ideas or challenges for each day during the week. Churches and community leaders also can find guides to help plan in-person events and date nights.
One of broadcast topics addresses the opportunity for a couple to leave a legacy with their marriage – both for their family and in the broader world. Jim Burns shares how he has invited (and paid for) his adult daughters and their spouses to attend marriage enrichment events. Now he’s dedicating time to building relationships with his grandchildren – including reading a Bible story book, taking them with him when he travels and praying for them by name.
Sharon Jaynes recounts how she modeled her family life after the example of a neighbor who welcomed her and showed her what a loving relationship looked like. Sharon kept an open-door policy with her son’s friends – making her home the center of warmth, love, acceptance, blessing and laughter – a haven long remembered.
Other marriage leaders explain how they celebrate special occasions, discover passion and purpose together as a couple, serve each other, forgive, and develop routines for connecting through dedicated together-time and date nights.
They cite the importance of praying together as a couple – not only does the practice almost “divorce proof” a marriage, according to statistics – prayer builds togetherness and intimacy, brings unity, and prevents anger from hardening into bitterness. Several offer simple ideas to get started – whether a sample one-sentence prayer or the suggestion to read a verse or line from a devotional.
The stronger the marriage the stronger the family. Brad Wilcox(Professor of Sociology at the University of Virginia and Director of the National Marriage Project and author of Get Married) has noted that research indicates children are more likely to flourish when raised in stable, two-parent homes. He purports “family-first” marriages characterized by frequent date nights contribute to happier marriages, which in turn benefit children through greater family stability.
The National Marriage Week is here to stand FOR a healthy marriage – hopefully helping many couples and homes avoid heartache and pain.
Marriage affects everything. When children see mom and dad respect one another, enjoy each other and forgive each other, those behaviors become their example of how to interact with others. What would our nation look like if everyone had a stronger and healthier environment at home?
Don’t let Hollywood’s false version of romance overshadow the closeness that comes from commitment and shared purpose. You’ll find it more fulfilling than chocolates or roses this Valentine’s Day.
*The international National Marriage Week movement started in the UK in 1996 – making this the 30th year it’s been celebrated.
*More than just a slogan, National Marriage Week is:
A movement to unite marriage leaders, supporters, and couples across the United States.
A public campaign to promote awareness of the positive impact that marriages have on society.
A place where people can find resources for their own marriage, to offer through their church, or to share with others.
Connect at marriageweek.org.