The joy of the Lord is much greater than the happiness we attain by striving to achieve a level of emotion through worldly endeavors (Nehemiah 8:10). Happiness is fleeting and is only skin deep, but God’s joy is eternal. We can rejoice always regardless of circumstances we encounter (Philippians 4:4-8).
Putting our spouse’s joy first is just as important as maintaining our own. We can help them to experience God’s joy by our words, actions, and emotions toward them. Lifting up our spouse encourages trust between us, increases our gratitude, promotes acts of kindness for each other, and gives us an emotionally nurturing atmosphere in our home.
We start by putting our marital relationship as our top priority above our vocation, demands of our children, ministries in our local church family, fellowship with friends, habits and hobbies, and community involvement. We do not neglect these other aspects of our life as the Holy Spirit leads us, but they come after our union with God and with our spouse.
Never take one another for granted. Noticing the routine things our spouse does for us and expressing our gratitude to them increases our feeling of being loved and cared for. Thanking each other for the extra effort we make to improve our life or to lighten our load helps us not to ignore each other’s overtures of love and kindness.
Spending time together does not have to be boring. We can replay our favorite outings when we started dating, snuggle together on the couch or loveseat – even for just for 15 minutes or to watch a movie or sporting event together, etc. Hold hands as we stroll through the mall or go to and from the car. The opportunities are endless.
Prayer:
Father God, thank You for giving us counseling by Your Holy Spirit as a husband and wife. His presence within us is greater than the satanic forces in the world that attempt to tear marriages apart. Teach us how to communicate, how to actively listen to each other, how to take our mate’s issues seriously even if their problem holds no importance in our way of thinking. If it is important to them, it is important enough for us to help solve the issue, to supply their needs, or just to listen.
Remind us to own our faults and not to make excuses for them, but to apologize when we hurt one another, break a promise, or get too busy to put our relationship second only to You in our list of priorities. Allow us to humble our self to see a professional counselor together if we have issues we cannot settle; however, praying together and listening to Your Spirit in order to find a third alternative is always profitable in most cases.
Thoughts for the Day:
Promoting joy in each other’s heart will give us a homelife that is warm and nurturing to us both. Working together as spouses, parents, friends, and lovers is a better action plan than withdrawing from one another physically, mentally, emotionally, or all three. Seeking a third option in times of a stalemate, and praying together about every disagreement, enables us to keep peace in our home and to deepen our intimacy with each other.
