The temptation with the new year is to make enormous shifts in the way we do things. Rarely do these last more than a month.

The best approach is to make small changes in our habits that move us in a better direction.

Pray for three minutes. Read a chapter of your Bible. Keep a thankful journal. Write an encouraging text to someone every single day.

These small incremental changes will add up faster than you realize, and they will be sustainable in the long run. We tend to overestimate what we can do in a short time and underestimate what we can do in five years. Doing one small thing every day this year is better than doing one big thing for a month.

Change your habits, and in the end, you change your life.

This week, my wife and I celebrated thirty years of marriage. One of the things that God has taught me through the past few years is the joy of spending a lifetime together. I am not saying that every year has been filled with joy, and we never had a struggle. I am saying that after all those years of struggle, the connection made at the other end is incredible.

I was always under the impression that the first few years of marriage were meant to be the best. Everything is new, and you learn about one another in every way. You have the strength and energy to enjoy every day to the fullest. The conclusion is that if the first few years are not “magical,” then you need to move on and find the person who can cause that.

The truth is that the longer you are together, the better and better a relationship will become. Obviously, I am coming at this as a committed Christian. I am trying to practice godly living in my home in every way, and so is my wife. And I am sure that makes a difference, too.

I firmly believe that if you stay with the spouse of your youth for a lifetime, the end is far better than the beginning. The past two years have been far more “magical” for our marriage than the first two years. We laugh together, love one another, share our joys, vent our frustrations to one another, and bond on a much deeper level than I ever imagined. We can now look across the room and almost instantly know what the other one is thinking. We know what brings each other joy and pain and strive to make life better for the other person.

The old saying is true, “Some things get better with age.”

Therefore, I am thankful this week for my wife and all the years we have spent together, while I look forward to many more experiences by her side.