Forever Beloved

remember the vows you were almost too nervous to repeat, “to love, honor, and cherish…as long as we both shall live”?  these aren’t just pretty-sounding words.  God takes them very seriously, and He expects husbands and wives to do the same.  these are strong words, filled with meaning.  if every couple kept these definitions in mind, and actively used them in our relationships, we would all be much happier.  even if we already have happy marriages, there is always room for improvement.

i strongly believe that the key to a happy marriage is to learn how to serve each other, to love each other with a true servants heart.  it’s hard because we are programmed not to serve.  the world says that marriage should be half and half, equal and filled with give and take.  the world convinces us that not only do we need that but we deserve it.  and anything less deserves a ticket straight out of the marriage.  we are living in a selfish generation where people look for excuses to run and quit.  

what is serving love?  you have a willingness and desire to serve and be totally committed to meeting their needs.  you absolutely want to honor them and put their needs before your own.  you have to purposely take a lower place to honor another (remember this post on humility…see a connection here?).  it flows from strength, not weakness.  it allows you to live out your vows to each other.

marriage is not 50/50.  so many married people have the outlook that they will only do their part if their spouse does theirs.  if that is the outlook you have on your marriage, chances are it is suffering somewhere.  put in your full 100% and expect nothing in return.   don’t measure the percentage you are willing to give to meet your spouses needs.  you have to care enough to give your all while expecting nothing in return.  once you establish that, serving love becomes so much easier.  give selflessly to meet your spouses needs and you will both feel loved, honored and respected.

this weeks challenge:  practice serving love…make alone time a priority, honor your spouses favorite things, say please + thank you, allow them to just be themselves, praise them to others and compliment them in front of others.  and enjoy the love, honor and respect you get in return!!!

out for now
~kisses

ps…don’t forget to stop back next saturday for our last session, celebrating love…

kindness is such a powerful thing yet so underused. in today’s society it is very easy to come across those who are unkind. it’s easy to come into contact every day with at least one unkind person. think about the person at the mall you hold the door open for, who walks right past you without saying thank you. think about Christmas time, what should be the most loving time of the year is normally when you encounter the most unkind people.

kindness is honestly one of the greatest gifts you can give someone. as Christians, kindness is something He expects from us. it allows Christ’s love to shine through us.  He doesn’t want us to be unkind, we are to be different.

out for now
~kisses