FixerUpperMarriage.org/RxNo one would argue that the institution of marriage is in trouble today. The divorce rate is off the charts. Couples married for years are getting divorced or separated. I am even shocked at the number of couples in the ministry who are struggling with their marriage relationship. Most of the time you don’t see their problems until it is unavoidable in becoming public. And that is just in what we can actually see. I think that there are many more marriages struggling that we don’t know about. Maybe a couple stays together because of a church position like a pastor. Or maybe they stay together to protect their pride and reputation. Regardless of the actual reasons for keeping a marriage together in public, they are broken and hurting in private. Eventually, those problems come out of hiding, whether it is to the children who are close to it or the general public in an explosive reveal. It’s the heartbreaking loss of a beautiful love that becomes a news cycle within the circle of people that we know. Have you heard that they are no longer together? No, wait, you mean that couple? You can’t ignore marriage problems and expect them to get better on their own. Nor can you neglect your marriage relationship and expect to stay happily married. You may be happy for a time, but that neglect will show itself.Obviously, God didn’t intend for your marriage to just exist. No, God means for your marriage to thrive and for you to stay madly in love for a lifetime. So let’s find God’s prescription for a hurting marriage.Table of ContentsGod’s Prescription for a Hurting Marriage* Laugh Often Together* Give Good Reviews* Make Your Marriage a Ministry1. Laugh Often TogetherI have to admit that this is a prescription that has been hard for my wife and me to take lately. There are things about life that are sometimes hard to understand and accept. It’s the kind of thing that you can’t really share with people. Also, you may know that my nephew Jack was killed by a reckless driver a couple of months back. This makes most of the things we do in life seem so frivolous. The bottom line is, we have not laughed very much lately. But that doesn’t change the value of it.Laughter is the Best MedicineIt’s an old saying that is actually backed by the Bible. If your marriage is hurting, laughing is like a medication that heals those hurts. Listen to what God says about it.A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones. Proverbs 17:22And not just laughing in general, but laughing together brings healing to the hurts of your marriage. Sometimes, Amber and I talk about our honeymoon, which, looking back, had a lot of laughable moments! For example, I was going to be romantic by carrying her over the threshold of the door into our hotel room on our first night together. Instead, I violently slammed her head against the door frame! We both grew up in strict homes and instead of being romantic, I was just clumsy and awkward. We had no idea what we were doing! It’s OK though because we loved each other. And eventually, I learned to not be like Hagar the Horrible! These memories are the kinds of things that make us laugh together. Laughing together is like a medicine that heals the hurts in your marriage. The memories of those funny moments, make your life together more meaningful and intimate. [bctt tweet=”Laughter is like a glue that makes your relationship stick together.”] I am not talking about being silly all the time, but taking the time as a  couple to enjoy each other’s company. It makes all the difference in the world to your relationship.Laughter is IntimateThere is something intimate for a man and woman to laugh together. It’s like you are making a connection with each other that takes your relationship to a deeper level. If my wife and I were struggling in our relationship and I saw her laughing with another man...