Justin, there are 12 things you need to do if you want your marriage to work

On Tuesday, pop star Justin Bieber made national news by announcing that he and model Hailey Baldwin were engaged to be married.

But the fact of his engagement didn’t get nearly as much coverage as the words he used in an Instagram post to describe his intentions in marrying Hailey.

After gushing about Hailey, he talked about the value of marriage. What’s more, he made clear his intention to show his little brother and sister what a healthy and stable marriage looks like.

And, in a statement not often heard from American celebrities, he stated his intention to let “Jesus through his Holy Spirit guide us in everything we do and every decision we make.”

Bieber’s words are good ones. And good words are a great start.

But, as so many of us have learned over the course of our marriages, good words and intentions must turn into healthy marital habits and patterns or they will soon ring hollow.

Fairy tale marriages are hard to find. And by “hard to find,” we mean “impossible to find.” Our own marriage certainly hasn’t been a fairy tale. It’s been messy. It’s taken a lot of hard work. But we’ve been determined to fight for our marriage, and the fight has been well worth the effort.

So Justin, in wishing you and Hailey the best, and building off a combination of biblical wisdom and hard-earned marriage experience, we offer you twelve golden rules for a healthy and stable marriage. These aren’t the only twelve insights into a good marriage, but they’re a good place to start.

To read the rest of the article, published at Fox News Opinion, click here.