"Keep me, O God, for my boat is so small and the ocean is so wide!!"
"Marriage is intended to bring joy. The married life is meant to be the happiest, fullest, purest, richest life. It is God's own ideal of completeness. It was when He saw that it was not good for man to be alone that woman was made and brought to him to supply what was lacking. The divine intention, therefore, is that marriage shall yield happiness and that it shall add to the fullness of the life of both husband and wife; that neither shall lose, but that both shall gain. If in any use it fails to be a blessing and to yield joy, and a richer, fuller life, the fault cannot be with the institution itself, but with those who, under its shadow, fail to fulfill its conditions." ~J.R. Miller~
Many of our young girls have prepared to be the godly wife that we envisioned them to become; but many of us mothers have had a longer road to reach the desired destination. I entered married life when I was 23, not knowing all that I should have known. I am sure that my husband would say the same about himself. How faithful God is to teach us how to live our married life together, though it is so much harder on our spouse to be learning such things once married.
God is good and He is faithful. I have learned to cook more than just rice in a rice cooker!! No kidding!! I was surprised to learn (the first time I made chicken) that it took more than TEN minutes to boil. Now, I know more about cooking chicken than boiling it; and I know that you have to boil potatoes first, not mash them first!! You don't believe I ever did that?!
Cooking is only one thing about marriage...it is important to cook, do laundry, and clean but most important is to lose your life for the life of the other. I am still learning this. When I am good and tired and there are still things to do...my thoughts can wish for relief or help...or worse yet - wonder why someone else isn't doing 'this!' That is a good lesson on how to totally ruin that sweet servant attitude!!
So, if you have been married more than a month or two, you might need to re-evaluate 'your' part. I have been married almost 33 years and it gets better each year. The last few years I have looked for ways to serve my husband. I could always improve some aspect (just in case you think I have 'arrived'...ask my children...they know, I have not :-) and because of that, I keep working at my attitude first, and then the little things that I do that speak volumes.
It is that glass of water when he comes home from work. That especially thoughtful lunch packed just by you, or washing his clothes (and picking them up WILLINGLY) that will eventually (if not sooner) silently speak to him that you love him. Telling him you love him or writing a note, email, or zapping off a text will cause him to look forward to coming home.
What can YOU do to liven up your marriage, make it NOBLE and kingly, filling your marriage with happiness and completing what God intended your marriage to be. Even in the imperfections of who you are as a woman, the imperfections of what your marriage is today, fight the good fight as it is sure worth it. God is Good!!
Blessings,
~Judith~
Ouch. You watchin' through my windows? :)
ReplyDeleteAfter 26 years of marriage, it still can be challenging to pick up after a husband willingly. What makes my crime even worse, is that my husband leaves things so rarely, you think I would GLADLY pick up his one shirt or one towel. You are so right, we always need to re-evaluate our end of the marriage and see what we can do to improve, or return to the condition we previously were convicted about.
I loved the quote. I always have believed that marriage isn't a problem, it's the people in the marriage that have problems. God created a beautiful pattern meant for good and not evil. As humans, it is hard to follow the pattern, but with the Lord's strength, we can.
No, I'm looking in my own window. I write out of my own experiences and they so often hurt!! Thanks again for your encouragement.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this encouragement, Judith! It's always wonderful to learn of husbands and wives, who continually yearn to learn, to grow in Him and grow closer to one another. God is never done working on us, whether we've been married for 5 years or 50, there's always room for the Lord to teach us. You know that children's song, "He's still working on me, to make me who I ought to be..." It rings true for all of us! : )
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