|
"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband."
(Ephesians 5:25, 33)
Yesterday, I wrote about two of the six Gospel commitments for healthy marriages from Kathy Litton. Kathy travels all over America speaking and encouraging God's people. She is 67 years young and is a triathlete! She and Ed are dear saints of God, and I am blessed to know them.
I will restate the first two and pick up where we left off yesterday:
- Commit to a regular lifestyle of confession.
- Make growth and change a daily agenda.
- Work together to build sturdy bonds of trust. Truth and honesty are vitally important. Truth brings health and wholeness, but deception damages. Don't lie to each other. Be honest, vulnerable, real, and open. I love this quote from Kathy: "Our spouse can handle reality. Trust is the confidence you have in someone."
- Commit to build strong relationships with love. Love means commitment and sacrifice. A UCLA study discovered that the deeper level of commitment spouses have, the lower their likelihood of divorce. Ya think?! Marriage is a treasure, so let us commit to the hard work!
- Deal with your differences with appreciation and grace. Handle your differences with grace. Little differences can create big conflicts if not dealt with in kindness.
- Protect your marriage. When a new senator is sworn into office, he or she commits to defending the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. It is the same for marriage. Both the husband and wife are sinners and vulnerable to sin. Have no secrets. Be honest and transparent in your communication. Guard your time together. Love is spelled T I M E.
After Kathy spoke, we gathered around tables and made comments about our own marriages. It was good having Ashley with me and hearing her as she spoke to those at our table. We shared how we have been married for 36 years and have grown and learned to appreciate each other and our differences. Someone said that marriage is holy sandpaper! I shared a quote that I had heard before: "Opposites often attract and then unfortunately attack." One of the men at the table, Pastor Joshua from North Carolina, shared a quote that he had heard about a husband who told his wife, "Do you want me to help fix this or just listen?" Great question! Oftentimes our wives do not want us to fix something; they simply want us to listen.
Have a blessed weekend. Thank you for your prayers for Ashley and me as we are currently in South Asia on a mission trip.
|
Apple
Spotify
Stitcher
YouTube
