Passion City Church Pastor Louie Giglio and his wife, Shelley, recently celebrated 37 years of marriage and offered advice on having a long-lasting godly marital union during a recent appearance on Sadie Robertson Huff’s podcast.
On an episode of the “Whoa, That’s Good” podcast, Louie Giglio, who started what’s now Passion City Church with his wife in 2009, said he believes that marrying “the right person” is the most significant step anyone can make towards a lasting marriage. Louie Giglio said, “A lot of times, people are already down the road going, ‘Hey, we need some help. We need some marriage advice. Can you give us some good advice?’ And it’s like, you married the wrong person, so it’s going to be hard for me to give you advice at this point.”
He continued, “I know that sounds fatal. But just make sure that you’re listening to God, that you are listening to your family, that you’re listening to the circle of spiritual influencers around you, and you’re listening to the people who love you enough to tell you the truth. And that’s going to help you make a decision to marry the right person.” The Giglios agreed that they “married complete opposites” in each other. Louie Giglio said, “Somehow, the beauty of our different strengths has really allowed us to have an incredible life together.”
The 65-year-old pastor said, “I always say to people, you know, ‘I’m a good starter. Shelley is a phenomenal finisher. I’m an idea guy. Shelley is a let’s figure out how to get it done person. Without her, I would have just been sitting on a big pile of great ideas all my life. And I think without me, she might not have gone on quite as many other roller coaster rides.” Shelley Giglio said it’s essential for married couples to see the difference between one another as complementary instead of competition, saying, “There’s usually a middle ground.”
She said, “There’s somewhere where God really longs for us to live, and it’s not necessarily our way and our timing and the way we want it. And it’s actually something more toward the center of the both of us.” She continued, “And I think, for us, we’ve done a good job trying not to be so determined and set in our own ways that we missed the opportunity to live in the better way. So, that’s a lifelong goal. We’ll be working at it forever, but it has definitely made a big difference.”
Louie Giglio said it’s hard to believe he and his wife have been together for four decades: 37 years of marriage and three years of dating. He joked, “It’s 40 years of life together, and that’s a marker. I’m telling you. Forty is an important number in the economy of the kingdom. And to think that we’ve been dating/married for four decades. Wow. I had to go back and check how old I was to make sure that was possible.”
Shelley Giglio shared that it’s essential when considering a potential spouse that Christians make sure they align themselves with someone who is also devoted to Jesus Christ, saying, “It makes total sense because you don’t want to be in a covenant with somebody who’s pulling in the other direction from where you really feel like your life is headed.”