We exist in a society where the consumer culture has affected marriages. Mine was not immune. I am ashamed to admit that I began thinking of it as a commodity, that exists solely for my fulfillment--a product purchased that can be returned or replaced with another when it failed to deliver my expectation. What I did not realize is, my marriage is something ought to be treasured, cherished, valued. There is nothing temporary about it. It isn't disposable and most definitely not replaceable. That even when you are dissatisfied and unfulfilled, it is to be protected, invested on and worked upon--both ways. I failed to realize that the cost I exchanged for a few fleeting moment of self-satisfaction cannot amount to it's true worth. I had wrong assumptions, poor models, unsound expectations. I let outside forces infect something I ought to be protecting. I failed to cherish the one who was in fact a huge part of me--my spouse, my better half, my God's best. It is a shame--a shame that the Lord erased and replaced with hope. He wiped out my guilt with grace.
~~~~~
Lord, I am imperfect. My unrealistic expectations of my relationship led me towards bitterness. I have let frustrations build up inside me causing me to to withdraw from my husband many times in the past. Unconsciously, I have allowed culture to dictate the worth of my marriage, thinking it is something that can be replaced and discarded when it no longer serves my needs. His imperfections were amplified and mine, down-played, and it took me a long time to realize and remember that we are two imperfect beings who made a decision to love regardless, fifteen years back. Forgive me for forgetting and help me remember. Touch my heart Father, that I may never forget to cherish my spouse and nourish our marriage, that Paul is as much a part of me as I am a part of him. Teach me to treasure him because he is Your priceless gift to me, my God's best. Amen.
Husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. -- Ephesians 5:28
~~~~~
Lord, I am imperfect. My unrealistic expectations of my relationship led me towards bitterness. I have let frustrations build up inside me causing me to to withdraw from my husband many times in the past. Unconsciously, I have allowed culture to dictate the worth of my marriage, thinking it is something that can be replaced and discarded when it no longer serves my needs. His imperfections were amplified and mine, down-played, and it took me a long time to realize and remember that we are two imperfect beings who made a decision to love regardless, fifteen years back. Forgive me for forgetting and help me remember. Touch my heart Father, that I may never forget to cherish my spouse and nourish our marriage, that Paul is as much a part of me as I am a part of him. Teach me to treasure him because he is Your priceless gift to me, my God's best. Amen.
Husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. -- Ephesians 5:28