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Is There Freedom in Your Marriage? (And Why it Matters) · Doing Marriage Well

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  Doing Marriage Well for July 6th, 2026 Is there freedom in your marriage and why it matters?
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  In the U.S. of A., we just celebrated 250 years of freedom. So I thought this
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  week I'd talk about the freedoms we should have in our marriage.
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  You sometimes hear people talk about marriage as giving up your freedom.
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  There is some truth in this. Living well with a spouse does put some constraints on us.
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  If you're going to be late, you call. If you want to take off on a whim, you discuss. us.
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  And if you want to rock out at 3 a.m., you wear headphones.
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  But a marriage done well has freedoms for both spouses. These are granted to
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  each other, but they are also actively nurtured by both.
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  Often it's a dance, as where you want freedom to be yourself may conflict with
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  where your spouse wants the freedom to be themselves.
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  So, what freedoms should exist in a healthy marriage? The freedom to be wrong.
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  We all make mistakes, from little ones that no one else notices to massive ones
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  that disrupt multiple lives.
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  We make honest mistakes based on bad information or misunderstanding,
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  and we do things we know are wrong because of selfishness or past injury.
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  Giving your spouse the freedom to be wrong means you will give them the benefit
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  of the doubt and offer forgiveness in generous amounts.
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  The freedom to be wrong makes it easier to see and to admit when you're wrong.
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  It makes you feel safe and helps you fight the urge to hide what you did.
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  It also reduces the need to blame others Or justify your actions Beyond that,
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  the freedom to be wrong Means we can risk and take chances We don't avoid things
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  because they might not work out Because we know our spouse won't use a failure against us,
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  Of course, we must avoid taking advantage Of the freedom to be wrong And we
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  need to offer it in return This is Paul, and doing marriage well Is never error-free.