Greetings Prayer Warriors,
It’s been said that the qualities that drew you to your spouse are often the same qualities that become a challenge later in your marriage. Let’s explore what that might look like. You adored your fiancé’s generosity, but now that you’re married, they can be a little too generous with others. You loved being the knight in shining armor to her damsel in distress, but as a spouse, are you now weary of the rescue? You adored that your significant other was the life of the party and a stranger to no one, but now that you’re married, are you feeling like you are the only one not getting any of the attention?
Our first responsibility is to look in the mirror before pointing a finger. What self are we presenting to our spouse?
At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.
1 Corinthians 13:12
Christ shows us that love is dying to self for the good of another and ultimately for the glory of God. Undoubtedly easy to say, hard to execute.
Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his own face in a mirror. He sees himself, then goes off and promptly forgets what he looked like. But the one who peers into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres, and is not a hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, such a one shall be blessed in what he does. James 1:22-25
Be bold! God has bestowed gifts on each of us. Are you using your gifts for the good of your spouse? Are you up to the challenge?
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control. 1 Timothy 1:7
Make a commitment to place your trust in the Lord, hope in his promises, and love your spouse daily.
My God, I believe, I adore, I trust and I love Thee. Help me to love my spouse with a love as pure, gentle, and sacrificial as yours. May my love be active, not passive. Have mercy on me when I miss the mark, and give me the courage to begin anew each day. Jesus, I trust in your unending grace! Amen.
Peace, Joy, and Love,
Janet
It all starts with a “yes!” Pass it on!
