We
are co-heirs with Jesus, and He provides us with all of the blessings He
received from our Father's hand. We thank Him for His abundant provision and
wait expectantly with each new day to see what He has in store for us.
As
a married couple, we are also joint heirs with one another to all the blessings
of God. We can pray for our spouse and ask our Father to pour out His
blessings, safety, holiness, integrity and physical and emotional health on our
spouse.
Most
problems have a solution; others must be put into the hands of our wise and
holy God to work out in His timing and way. We follow the Serenity Prayer, and
have the courage to trust Him through our issues.
We
learn to compromise with each other or to agree to disagree. Issues do not need
a winner or loser. Unless the consequences of a decision will affect us
adversely, we can give one another room to succeed or to fail on our own
merits.
This
teaches us to hear from God's Spirit, to consider one another's needs and
opinions, but not to have to control every decision made in our marriage. If we
cannot agree, then we continue to pray about it until God gives us the same
vision and direction.
They
say, "Do not sweat the little things. Everything is a little thing."
This is not entirely true. Many decisions put our safety, security and future
well-being on the line. These are not to be taken lightly and should be
directed by a mutual decision from both of us by the direction of God's Spirit.
God
already has His solution for every issue; and following His wisdom will keep
peace in our relationships at home, work, church family, neighborhood, etc. God
always gives us a third option to consider that may unite or resolve our
divided thinking.
Prayer:
Father
God, I noticed that we all react to life's hurts in different ways. Some get
angry, others withdraw, and many stuff their feelings and go along to get
along. We learn this behavior from others as we grow up, or we adopt this style
in order to survive in our circumstances. We need Your help to let go of our
agenda when it conflicts with others, or to express our needs and opinions
without hurting one another, and then to leave the issue in Your capable hands.
Remind
us to love our self enough not to neglect our own needs and feelings. They are
important too. Help us not to stuff our feelings, but to negotiate our issues
until we find another way that will bless each person in the conflict in some
way. This prevents the development of bitterness, and stops us from shutting
down emotionally. Remind us that our flawed human reasoning must submit to Your
wisdom, until peace is restored to our relationships.
Thought
for the Day:
As
we are faithful to one another, make date nights a priority, focus attention on
each other every day, bless one another with random acts of kindness, and
prefer one another above our self - without neglecting our self, God will bless
our efforts and our marriage for many years to come.
