I love this so much. You hit the nail on the head with your observation that “strong marriages are built on love and acceptance” and that any change in your partner has to come from within, not by external force or guilt.

As I’ve grown in my Christianity over the years, I’ve come to the conclusion that people simply need to know they’re loved. Not that they’re lacking in some way according to the beliefs I hold. Jesus sees us all as worthy of love, and did/does even at our worst. We don’t have to compromise our own beliefs to respect other people where they are. God is perfectly capable of doing what he does best, and my job is to love as Jesus loved. The rest will fall into place.