After several dumb spats over the past weeks, Mark and I finally realized that we needed to nurture our marriage a bit more as we have been in survival mode for a while and felt distant from one another.
This happens occasionally with us, more so after the addition of two little ones, but luckily we are both not okay with how we had been living and treating one another and want to make changes individually and as a couple together. We want to grow closer to one another and know each other better, especially how to love the other in a way he or she responds to and, of course, to grow closer to Christ together. So we got down to the basics and simply decided (as we had had on our goals for the past couple years) to pray with one another every night before bed and read Scripture together (we didn't designate when). This is the same command we are given in Scripture of how to simply know God better, pray to Him, and read His Word.
I also wanted to do a study or read something more on marriage and was led to our bookshelf to the book Love and Respect by Eggerichs. Right away, I was happy with what I read and it lined up with exactly what I was looking for. It talked about being willing to submit myself wholeheartedly to this Biblical design for marriage that he describes...
Eph 5:33 "However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband."
Also, the author talked about this cycle he has seen in marriage..."without love from him, she reacts without respect; without respect from her, he reacts without love." God has ordained that wives respect their husbands as a method to win husbands to Himself. These things really resonated with me and I am excited to read on.
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