Adjusting to a new marriage is a major hurdle in life. We must guard against adding to this stress by relocating, changing jobs, taking up new hobbies and interests that do not include our mate, etc. Keeping life on an even keel for the first year of marriage, at least, is vitally important for our lasting adjustment.
We spend this time encouraging each other’s strengths, loving our mate in his/her “love language,” praying together as well as for one another every day, loving and cherishing and honoring and respecting each other is also vitally important.
We need God’s direction and wisdom on how to shower each other with His abundant grace, unconditional love, and abiding peace. We embrace our trials together, supporting each other and protecting one another’s back.
Marriage-disrupting situations arise throughout our lifetime, orchestrated by the devil to destroy our witness and to unsettle our family unit. Temptations to give up due to infidelity, debilitating illness, differences in our life view or goals or ideals, etc. build a wall between us.
Divorce or marital discord has a profound effect on our children and grandchildren, as well as on us as a couple and even our extended family. The impressionable minds of our younger relatives, even as young adults, are shaken to their very roots. They may even feel hopeless about finding a long-term relationship in their own life.
Criticizing one another, fighting over inconsequential matters, hanging onto resentments and disappointments, etc. will build walls between us. Gossiping to others about our spouse’s weaknesses and failings makes our spouse feel even more insecure and unappreciated.
Preventing walls of separation to build up between us is vitally important; as Satan places stones of resentment, anger, discouragement and hurt between us, we must communicate in order to dismantle each one; giving our mate sacrificial love on this side of Heaven is the best gift we can ever provide for him/her, for our self, and for our family.
Prayer:
Father God, show us how to love and serve our spouse each day that will be meaningful to him/her. Remind us that we can deprive our self of some time and effort that we would prefer to spend on our own pursuits in order to make our loved one’s burden in life easier to bear. Help us to live up to our commitment to one another and to place our marriage covenant at the top of our list of priorities.
We especially do not want to neglect our spouse’s needs for attention, affection, time and consideration. We are not in competition with one another, but members of the same team, joined together by God to lift up one another, and to work together to make our life more fluid, wholesome, and fulfilling. We want to keep our eyes focused on You alone, and to look to You alone to meet all of our needs as individuals and as a couple.
Thought for the Day:
God gives each one of us particular talents, strengths, attributes and outlooks in order to benefit our relationship as a whole; remind us that there is always a third option that we can both agree on in order to keep us focused on cooperation and security in our marriage.
- Philippians 2:4
