What Is Marriage To You?

What does marriage mean to you.? Are you in it for the long haul, or are you just visiting until things get a little tough and you decide to pack up and leave.  Perhaps you are in a long term relationship and you feel that  marriage is not necessary. If you care about yourself and the person that you are with, then you should consider marriage for the long haul.  Life happens, however, we can make the best of it no matter what.  Commitment is something that some of us wish to avoid. It is better to commit to something good and make it work than not to commit to anyone or anything. Marriage is holy and should be entered into by two persons of the opposite sex.  Both parties should be willing to love unconditionally at all times.  It may not be easy, but it is attainable. Remember when you were pursuing one another?  You looked forward to that telephone call, or seeing each other and being in each others company. It may get a little hard sometimes however you have faced other hard things and you have made it through them, you can make it through your marriage as well.

Start from where you are, if you are struggling with a particular circumstance or situation talk about it.  Set a time aside when each of you can focus on what is being said.  Try to accomplish that when the children are in bed and you have some privacy. Be gentle and kind to each other. Consider if one or the other of you is tried or has had an exhausting day.  Set the atmosphere so that it is inviting and has a feeling of warmth.  Marriage is important, and it needs daily attending just like everything else in our lives that we want to survive.  Your relationship with Christ first must be established and then you will find it easier to keep your relationship with one another in a fresh mode.  Really take the time to sit down and think about what your marriage means to you, write out your thoughts and reread them. Then make a list on what you would like to do to change or enhance some areas. Talk about the list with your spouse, if you are in a relationship and not married, perhaps it is time to think about why you are not living godly lives. Is it fear, a trust issue, or a lack of wanting to make a commitment.  Share your opinions and views about this blog.  Let us know what you think.

What Does Love Look Like To You?

Have you ever stopped to think about how love looks to you? How would you describe true love? Is it an emotional feeling, or expression of gifts? Unfortunately for most people of this day and time, they fall in and out of love as easily and quickly as they shower or change clothes. What happened to the love that lasts through the trial and tribulations and circumstances of life. Who desires to be in it for the long haul or is that now a thing of the past? At the very sign of someone disagreeing with how you feel or think, do you immediately loose some of your love or respect for them? The Bible tells us that love suffers long, it is kind, patient, sees no wrong, quick to forgive, believes all things, hopes all things. (I did paraphrase) How does your relationship add up to those characteristics? When there is an on-going problem in your relationship are you willing to bend to accomplish a solution that will benefit you as well as your partner? If, you love the other person unconditionally then you will. However, unconditional love is a learned, it does not just happen.

You must desire to deny yourself, and your feelings to accomplish unconditional love. It may not be easy, but it is attainable. Sometimes, we need to just let love happen without trying to figure it out or adjust it to meet our needs at that time. Life can be easier when we learn how to love each other in spite of and regardless of. If you are in a marriage and it seems to be suffering because one or the other of you is not operating in love, may I suggest that you take the challenge and allow love to exhibit itself through you without you asking for anything in return. I wonder what would have happened if Jesus decided not to love each of us enough to die for us with an unconditional love. Start from where you are today and practice unconditional love to your partner. Give it an honest try for at least 21 days and see what the results will be. After all, you have nothing to loose and everything to gain.