Something we talked about today was the phrase, "A happy wife means a happy life!". We both stated how we had mixed feelings about the saying so we talked it out. Yes, on the one hand there is truth to it. Men if you love your wife she will want to love you back (so feel free to do so), but so often this statement is translated as "It's my husbands job to make me happy at all times and if he doesn't make me happy, then I don't have to make him happy". Newsflash, that's not love. The Bible does tell husbands to love their wives, but love doesn't always look the way we want it. Sometimes love has to tell the truth and sometimes the truth hurts. But God didn't create marriage to suck because of the hard truths, He made it become even more wonderful because - I love the word Jess uses - it sanctifies us. It makes us more like Jesus because "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another".
It's the purpose of marriage. This can be applied to relationships in general but God created a way for one man and one woman to enter a covenant based on a trust and a love that can only be shared between two people. It is meant to be a representation of what God wants to have with us. A relationship that reveals our flaws and causes us to become more like Jesus. Our self focused culture has taken the truth of the "hard" parts of marriage and lied to us saying that marriage is too hard and once theres no emotion to keep you together, then clearly it's time to call it quits. They reduced love to an emotion and once that's gone, they have no obligation to work at it because they are no longer "in love". The people who believe the lie that it's all downhill from marriage don't understand the concept of marriage. Dating isn't meant to fulfill you, it's only a stepping stone to the real deal. It's the reason you feel drawn to marriage but know that the hard parts in your dating relationship will only be amplified when you enter marriage. It's a turn-off for those who listen to the marriage definition of todays society, but at the same time it's a longing of the heart. People enter it based on how they feel, but when the person isn't making them feel the love that made them long for marriage, they have no obligation to try. If you base your love for people on how they make you feel, then you have not learned how to love.
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
Romans 5:8So next time when you're faced with a hard truth and it doesn't feel like your husband is making you happy, he is making you happy. You're not going to feel it instantly, in fact it may actually hurt in the moment but momentary affliction is worth it because of where it leads. It leads you to deal with something that is actually hindering your walk with God and your relationship with your spouse. That's true love. Love will take that risk of telling you something you don't want to hear because they want to see you grow. Love will put up with you when you get angry and decide not to make his favorite dinner because he made you upset by pointing out your flaw. Love will still be there waiting for the moment the light bulb goes off and you realize he was right. Love will respond with walking you through whatever you need to help you become the person you were created to be. And when you are walking in your destiny, you can't NOT be happy.
PS. You don't have to wait till you're in a relationship to do this! God has called us to love each other. That means your family, your best friend, your co-workers ect... It's the same principle. God gave us each other so we could spur one another on towards Christ. Thank God for the people in your life that love you enough to push you to become better, and strive to love people enough to show love even when you don't feel like it. It's good practice for marriage!
No comments:
Post a Comment