Happiness, Marriage, and Who's to Blame

Are you happy in your relationship? To what extent does happiness matter when it comes to marriage? (Make sure to take the poll at the end to let me know.)

This week on Change the Odds the Podcast, I talk about the relationship between happiness and marriage. I critique how those in culture have gotten in wrong and disagree with many within the church who tend to downplay the importance of happiness in marriage. (Here’s the Spotify link.)

Outside of adultery, the most common critique I hear regarding marriage is the phrase, “I’m not happy in my marriage.” To me, that phrase is a warning flag. But it is often a warning in a way that many people don’t understand.

When we are unhappy, there are questions we should definitely ask, but the first five questions aren’t about our partner, they are about us. I wrote about it here at changetheodds.com.

If you want to consider more on happiness and marriage, consider my book Happily. It’s been six years since the book released, but I still love considering the words of Jesus that open the Sermon on the Mount and their relationship to marriage.

What would you tell a younger reader who has only heard about how bad marriage is? Here’s my one minute response of why marriage is a worthy pursuit.

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It’s a busy next few weeks at Change the Odds. This Sunday I’ll be speaking in Newport Beach, CA at Bayside OC. Next week I’ll be with a group of guys in Scottsdale talking about golf and marriage (men, join us next year at one of our golf and marriage events). Next weekend, Jenny and I will be in Napa at our Work/Life Balance Retreat (join us next year at one of our marriage events).

Our 2025 calendar is starting to fill-up. If you are interested in hosting an event or joining us for an event, reply to this email.

Finally, here’s a one minute clip from last weekend’s sermon:

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