Living behind masks is a common
mistake in today's society. We emulate successful people and, in the process,
abandon our true self - sticking him/her in a closet in the deep recesses of
our soul.
We make the mistake of not realizing
that eventually we will tire of the façade, which we build. Our true self will
express our real thoughts and feelings, and we will make vital choices that negatively
or positively affect every area of our life.
Initially, we are drawn to our
mate by what we perceive as true. When our mate's facade begins to
crack, we are disillusioned and maybe even dismayed by what we find inside
their soul.
A closet drinker, drug addict,
over-eater, work-a-holic, rage-a-holic, control freak, couch potato, underachiever, criticizer, bully, etc. may come creeping out, and we realize we were
fooled. This is when our feelings get hurt, and the fighting begins in our marriage.
If we have a prophetic nature, we
may tend to point out the characteristics of our spouse's base nature. This hurts
their feelings and they criticized and throw back all of our faults and imperfections
at us. This only escalates the negative feelings between us.
Conversely, realizing what issues
in our life that we need to work on is a good thing, and we can hold each other
accountable. Additionally, mutually discovering our short-comings will stop the
charade in our marriage and enable us to relax more and find more comfort in
our relationship.
Counseling may help, because it is
unbiased, professional input that will enable both of us to improve our
idiosyncrasies, develop more character in each of us, and help us to live with
God's Agape love toward one another.
Therapy allows us to grow more
intimate in our relationship, offer an example to others of a good, happy
marriage; and have more light to shine into the dark world around us in order
to bring others to Christ.
Prayer:
Father God, lead us to a
counselor or make us sensitive to Your Holy Spirit, so that we will find help
to adjust to and accept the negative character traits we see in one another.
Also enable us to find freedom from our negative weaknesses. Seeking this
advice together as a couple will help passion to arise and our daily routine
will enjoy more understanding, variety, spice and pizzazz.
The fruit of Your Spirit will
grow within each of us and meld us into one flesh in Christ, who abides within
us. Encourage us to talk to other people who already live a passionate life, so
that we can discover their tips and adjustment concepts, in order to acquire
similar skills to produce for us a marriage that is fully alive and fulfilling.
Please lead us to the books at the store that also include advice that You know
will fit our marital needs at this time.
Thought for the Day:
An honest and nonrestrictive
relationship allows both of us to feel more loved by our mate, receive more
affirmation for who we really are, diminish the pressure of hiding behind
masks, and set us free to be human as God's Spirit transforms us with the mind
of Christ, including His spiritual fruit and divine nature.
- Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 3:18;
Galatians 5:22-23
