Love on Purpose: A Prayer and a Challenge for Your Marriage

I came across this prayer on social media recently, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. I wanted to share it with you because I believe it captures the heart of what many of us desire in our relationships (to love on purpose), but also what many of us struggle to live out.

Heavenly Father,
We come before You today seeking guidance and wisdom in our relationships.
You have taught us that love is patient, love is kind, and it does not envy or boast; it is not proud or rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Lord, help us embody these virtues in our relationships. Heal any wounds that have been created through misunderstanding or neglect. Open our hearts to forgive as You have forgiven us, and renew our spirits to love as You love. Guide our interactions, that we may build each other up, rather than tear down.
In Your holy name, Amen.

It’s beautiful, isn’t it?
But also… hard.

Because while we may agree with every word, the truth is, many of us aren’t living like this in our marriages. Not because we don’t want to, but because we haven’t been taught how. We have not been taught how to love on purpose.

We want to love like 1 Corinthians 13, but we keep getting stuck in frustration, miscommunication, resentment, or emotional distance. We start out with passion and promise, but somewhere along the way, life creeps in. Habits form. We get reactive. We stop being intentional.

And love, the way it was meant to be lived, starts to erode.

Love Doesn’t Grow on Autopilot

We would never plant a seed and walk away expecting fruit. And yet, that’s often how we treat our marriages.

• We expect connection without conversation.

• We expect growth without change.

• We expect unity without effort.

But love, real love, requires tending.

And the truth is, if you’re not actively growing your marriage, you’re unintentionally allowing it to drift.

What If the Growth Starts With You?

I’m not asking you to change your spouse.
I’m inviting you to lead with love. I’m inviting you to love on purpose.

Because here’s the truth: you have more influence than you think.

You can:

• Choose empathy over defensiveness

• Ask for clarity instead of making assumptions

• Practice forgiveness, even if you don’t “feel” like it

• Be intentional about intimacy—in all its forms

• Create moments of safety and connection that invite your spouse closer

You don’t have to wait for things to be “bad” to begin doing good.

You’re Not Alone—and You’re Not Meant to Do This Alone

If this article feels close to home…
If your marriage looks fine from the outside, but feels flat, disconnected, or tense underneath…

You’re not the only one.
You’re not weak.
And you are not without hope.

We created the Denoli Community and the Make Love Better Course for couples just like you—couples who want more, who are ready to learn, heal, and grow in faith-based, practical, and powerful ways.

This isn’t just about staying married.
It’s about learning how to thrive in marriage.
To love fully. To be known. To be intentional. To grow together. To love on purpose.

Here’s Your Invitation

🟣 Join the Denoli Community
💡 Explore the Make Love Better Course

Let this be the moment where you stop hoping things will get better “someday” and start investing in today.

You’ve got what it takes.
You’re not behind.
You’re just ready.

Let’s do this, together.