There’s an old country song that holds a special meaning between my husband and I. In fact, I tear up every time I hear it (including right now). It evokes thoughts of love overcoming all odds, an enduring marriage and a deep connection that lasts beyond even our final breaths.
I read a blog post by Lisa at Club 31 Women today called “6 Words of Wisdom: The Best Advice From 60 Years of Marriage” that brought my mind back to that song. In the post, Lisa’s dad shared what it takes to enjoy 60 years of marriage. Be sure to read the original post by clicking on the title of her blog post! It is simply great. I want to grab this husband’s words of wisdom and expand on them a bit, from my newlywed perspective. Today I’ll expand on the first 2, and will take on the rest in Pt 2 and Pt 3 posts!
So here we see that this husband says, “We knew that we were to love one another as God loves us.” Hmmm…
Despite my sincere love for my husband, SOMETIMES loving him as God loves me takes work. Don’t get me wrong: he is a TRULY remarkable man! AND we ARE still savoring that fresh newlywed love 🙂 But despite those things, on occasion I let my stresses, tiredness, stubbornness, PMS, etc control my mouth and expressions instead of letting LOVE rule my tongue and mind, in submission to Christ. It’s shamefully easy to respond “in the flesh”, isn’t it? Hey, I’m just being real! I just need to continually and prayerfully bring myself back to “Life’s Manual,” with my marriage and my incredible husband in mind. God loves me – AND loves him – without reservation, in the midst of every one of our flaws. So grateful for that! Ladies, when we find ourselves responding to our husbands in a way that doesn’t reflect love, let’s be QUICK to apologize and move forward! Tell him you’re sorry and show that man of yours some love! Okay…onto #2….
Keeping score and holding grudges is toxic to any relationship. As Christians, our hearts know the perfect example of selfless forgiveness. The enemy would love nothing more than to blind our eyes and smother our hearts with veils of unforgiveness and bitterness. They stifle intimacy, stomp on grace and rob futures. These things are obvious no matter the longevity of our marriages thus far! Still, in the moment it may be tempting to try and keep a tight death grip around “being right” and staying in control. Psst! IT’S NOT WORTH IT! Let INTIMACY be the continued goal that always trumps being “right.” Forgive. Pursue peace. Pursue each other through it all.
As simply put as these points are, they serve as fantastic reminders and pose very achievable goals that clearly support a long lasting, beautiful marriage. Did they challenge you? Let’s hear your thoughts 🙂
I’d love to pray for you and your marriage! If you have a prayer request, feel free to include it in the comments below or email me directly at Newlywedloveblog@writeme.com
XOXO
Katherine
PS: Here are just a few of MANY scriptures that describe God’s love, and how we should love one another!
“…My unfailing love for you will not be shaken, nor my covenant of peace be removed from you.” Isa 54:10 // “…The people You’ve redeemed, You lead in merciful love.” Exodus 15:13 // “There is no fear in love; perfect love casts out all fear…” 1 John 4:18 // “Love covers all transgressions.” Proverbs 10:12 // “But God demonstrated His love for us, in that while we were yet sinners [and we did not deserve it] Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 // “The Lord your God is with you…He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you by His love, He will exalt over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17 // “Love is patient…kind…rejoices with the truth…bares all things, believes the best…hopes, endures…never fails…” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
For The Newlyweds 