Marriage is a dream come true for most couples and they don't go into it thinking about how to avoid a divorce. It's obvious by the number of divorces each year that something goes wrong between the time the man and woman say "I do" or "I will" to they day they move out and file for divorce. Sometimes the marriage last, 6 months, 6 years or 30 years. Divorce doesn't discriminate based on the number of years together.

If you want a good chance at keeping your marriage together follow these simple but important principles:

1. Communicate openly and honestly. What you don't say can come back to haunt you. Say what's on your mind and don't make your spouse learn how to read your mind.
2. Work at being happy, enjoyable to be around and unselfish. Misery loves company so if you are grumpy and miserable all the time your spouse will be too.
3. Consistently forgive your spouse for any offense (big or small). If you don't want to be divorced or very unhappy in your marriage you will need to master the act of forgiving.
4. Stay positive and avoid periods of depression. It's depressing to be around a negative and depressed person. A doom and gloom attitude is unhealthy in a marriage.
5. Don't make your children (or other people) more important than your spouse. You may be the best parent or best friend in the world but your spouse is numeral uno and must feel that way.
6. Do more than your fair share around the house.
7. Spend money wisely and avoid running up your debt. There are only a few matters that put more pressure on a marriage than money. Spend carefully, wisely and get your spouses support for any major spending you do.
8. Don't let yourself get addicted to anything that harms your relationship with your spouse. This includes working and hobbies, in addition to the other addictions which can ruin your marriage and life.
9. Don't continue to do annoying things that drive your spouse up the wall. You know what they are and if you get joy out of annoying your spouse.
10. Make sure you are meeting the intimate needs of your spouse. If you don't your spouse may doubt your commitment or even think you might be cheating.
11. Don't look at explicit films, magazines, or advertising and compare your husband (wife) to the glorified images you see there, and especially mention others whom you find more attractive.
12. Don't allow your heart to grow hard toward your husband (wife) and refuse to ever say "I'm sorry, "Forgive me," or "I forgive you."
13. Don't make something other than God and your spouse your top priority
14. Never threaten to get a divorce every time something comes up between you and your spouse that needs to be worked out.
15. Never have an affair or entertain an obsession of the heart over someone other than your spouse.
16. Don't move out of your home and skip trying to reconcile your differences. It's very hard to avoid divorce if you never see each other.
17. Never give up and refuse to believe that God is a God of miracles who can restore love and hope.

There are many things you should do and things you shouldn't do to help you avoid divorce and figure out how to have the best marriage possible. You should do all you can to avoid divorce because it has a tendency to ruin families and lives.

There are other important steps you can take to build the best marriage possible and help you divorce proof your marriage. There is a person I came across (Amy Waterman) who put together an inexpensive resource to help you keep your marriage on track. She has an easy to follow program that will help you and your marriage. If it's not right for you she offers a 100% refund.