Called into relationship to serve one another

We started the day on Saturday with morning prayer, which was apparently a new twist for the conference. I love this format for prayer, so felt right at home with it.  The morning presentation was then on serving one another, and there wasn't too much new in it for me. The one note I took on this presentation, I mistakenly posted as if it was from the keynote presentation.  It was not a new idea either, but a good one for me to have reinforced:

We may have entered into our marriage for all the wrong reasons, but God can still make of it a Sacramental relationship. Many of us begin our adventure together rooted in self-centeredness. But God's plan for us is greater than our own plan or vision for ourselves. 

So, in a rich marriage in which we have embraced the adventure that we are on together, we will learn to set our self-interests aside and serve one another, enrich one another, build up our partner rather than focus on our own perceived needs. This is probably the biggest and most consistent mistake I see in troubled marriages is that each partner focuses on their own needs and their partners shortcomings. In successful marriages, the opposite happens, as each partner works on their own shortcomings and nurtures their partner's needs.