How to Build an Unshakable Marriage

Marriage is fundamentally about love.

But how we define love—and how we understand marriage—changes everything.

If you want a strong marriage, you must build it on something greater than yourself.

You need a foundation that won’t crack under pressure; that’s God’s design for marriage.

Culture says love is a feeling. The Bible says love is a person.

Rom-coms and sitcoms will show you a skewed version of love. A pithy, shallow, and fickle type of love.

Think about how many romantic movies feature the protagonist cheating on their spouse because they discovered “true love.”

This is because the world defines love as whatever feels best to us in the moment.

That’s a fragile foundation for a marriage.

The Bible says that the qualities of love are patience and kindness. Love is without envy or pride. Love isn’t self-serving and always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres. Love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8).

I don’t know about you, but I know for a fact that I can’t embody all of those qualities all the time… And that’s okay…

Because the Bible doesn’t describe a love we can manufacture on our own. It describes God.

The Bible tells us that God IS love. (1 John 4:8)

Jesus is the perfect embodiment of love. Therefore, we can only truly love each other if we are close to him.

Love isn’t just a feeling. It’s the material we use to build—and rebuild—our marriage daily.

When I interviewed Dr. Kim Kimberling on his journey, he showed he’s proof of this truth.

Early in his marriage, struggles nearly drove him and his wife, Nancy, apart. But instead of running, they dug deeper into their faith.

They took divorce off the table and replaced it with grace, perseverance, and prayer. And because of that, their marriage didn’t just survive—it thrived.

The true essence of love is not found in fleeting emotions but in the daily decision to serve, forgive, and stand firm.

Love, at its core, is action—it’s faith in motion.

Jesus modeled this when He knelt to wash His disciples’ feet, showing us that real love serves.

A strong marriage mirrors that same heart posture. It’s built on the foundation of servant leadership, honest communication, conflict resolution, fidelity, and forgiveness.

These aren’t just ideals—they’re the building blocks of a covenant marriage.

So, love isn’t about how you feel. It’s about what you choose to do, especially when it’s hard.

It’s in the small moments: a kind word, a selfless act, a simple “I’m sorry.”

What if you stopped seeing marriage as something to endure and started seeing it as something to invest in?

Marriage will test you. Finances, parenting, unmet expectations, mistakes, even emotional breakdowns.

But the strongest marriages aren’t the ones that avoid hardship; they’re the ones that stand together in the midst of it.

When Dr. Kim and Nancy made massive life changes to follow God’s call, they faced financial struggles, loss of friendships, and uncertainty.

And it was during these challenges that they learned something powerful:
When God is at the center of your marriage, He provides, He strengthens, and He restores.

Your marriage is your legacy.

Think about your children. Think about the generations after you.

What kind of marriage are you modeling for them?

Are you showing them that love is conditional, that quitting is an option?

Or are you showing them what it means to fight for something holy, something worth protecting?

The legacy of a godly marriage isn’t built in grand moments. It’s built in everyday faithfulness.

The way you love, the way you forgive, the way you stand together—it all matters.

A marriage built on Christ is unshakable.

The storms will come, but when God is your foundation, you’ll stand firm.