The happy overflow of marriage

One of the emphases so far in this book has been that staying married is not mainly about staying in love, but about keeping covenants. We did eventually come around to saying that precisely by this unwavering covenant-keeping the possibility of being profoundly in love in forty years is much greater than if you think the task of marriage is first staying in love. Keeping first things first makes second things better. Staying in love isn't the first task of marriage. It is a happy overflow of covenant-keeping for Christ's sake.

John Piper, This Momentary Marriage