Listening to the emotions behind one another’s words helps our mate to feel like they matter to us, that we are actually interested in their concerns and needs, and that we will not abandon them, but stay committed to them always.
Ignoring our mate’s necessities or lacking in sympathy for their issues in life will tear at the fiber of our marriage. When we listen attentively, help each other, and show compassion and care, we strengthen our relationship and help one another to feel safe, secure, and loved.
When we take the time to make sure our mate feels cherished, supported, and important to us, we help them to know beyond a doubt that they are valuable and that we deeply care about their well-being. We can actually take time for an exercise in which we both make a list of interactions that are important to us in our marriage, and make sure we both fulfill something on our partner’s list every day.
Learning one another’s love language and giving our spouse love in ways that they need, rather than in ways that they do not really care about, goes a long way in deepening our feelings of love for one another. When we put aside our own worries, cares, and busy schedule for each other, we are present in the moment with one another.
Trust is actually more important in a relationship than love, because without trust, love cannot grow and flourish. We also deepen our relationship by living as a person of integrity, remaining an open book, and talking about our day with honesty and vulnerability. Remind us that evading or lying about facts in order to protect each other, or to avoid the inevitable disagreement, will sever that trust and breed suspicions in an overactive imagination.
Prayer:
As human beings, we often get caught up in our own little world and fail to include our spouse in our individual life, thoughts and prayers. We fail to quickly forgive each other for slights, disappointments, and broken promises. These issues allow bitterness to erode our love and enjoyment of each other. We grow apart and build walls between one another to keep away further hurt. Remind us that Satan is always ready to capitalize on these human tendencies and to use them to split up our marriage.
Help us to avoid these pitfalls, and to build a strong tie by giving each other freedom to make decisions for our individual life, times to be with and fellowship and minister in areas that do not include one another; and yet, to build a devotion to each other that does not include anyone else. Teach us that we need to know that we are more important to each other than viewing our mate as a roommate, a paycheck, a companion, a childcare provider, or a cook and housekeeper.
Thoughts for the Day:
In our marriage, we need to be able to readily admit mistakes, failings, hurts, negative feelings, and bad choices, without the fear of rejection. We should have no need to wear a mask with our mate, because being open and transparent with each other increases our love for and intimacy with one another. Bringing joy and laughter into our marriage will help to lighten our load of cares and responsibilities and give us shared light-hearted moments to cherish.
