A goal of mine: Better love my wife and children.
"As Christ loved the church." I have heard this is how I am supposed to love Amy, but it can be a confusing statement if I don't know what Christ did for the church, His bride. I was a crappy husband for the first 14+ years of our marriage. For the past two and a half I have been a pretty good husband. However, I have a lot to learn if I am going to LOVE AMY LIKE CHRIST LOVED THE CHURCH! Listen to these words from The Resolution for Men. It's a higher calling for sure:
When you have two moody people, such as Amy and myself, living together, you never quite know what mood is going to hit each day. I feel sorry for our kids on those days where we are both in a "funk." I imagine they get confused some days and wonder "what in the world is up?"
Regardless, I am called to lead and love my family - good mood or not. It's a choice I make. Like past Friday, I was in a TERRIBLE mood. I was tired and not responding well in my head or in my actions. By the time we arrived to Clinton, I was foul. My thoughts were negative. I did not like how I felt or acted. I woke up the next morning and made a conscious decision to give it to God and turn things around. The past three days have been way better!
Here are some questions from chapter 6 to ponder, as a husband wanting to love more like Christ:
Romans 8:38-39 (NASB)
God's calling for you as a husband was not to marry the woman you love, but to love the woman you married. And that can be a tall order sometimes. The example God gives husbands to follow is simply the most courageous and sacrificial act ever done in all human history. Christ's love for the church is without limit. When Jesus died for His bride, she was dirty and sinful. She was acting like His enemy. Yet, He still chose to love her and lay down His life for her - not in a quick, easy death but by allowing Himself to be mocked and beaten, then nailed to the Roman cross. Jesus, the one who deserved to suffer the least for human sin, paid the highest price to meet His bride's deepest need.
Our daily behavior around our wives cannot be based upon their actions or on our feelings, because neither of those is always good. It should instead be founded on a higher standard. Jesus said, "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you" (John 15:12). Christ is the master of love and is commanding us to learn specifically from Him. To love like He loves. To revolutionize how we treat our wives by loving them the most when they deserve it the least.What standard am I basing my love for my wife on - the world's or Christ's? Some days I get it right, but there are many days I miss the mark. It's easy to serve and love Amy well when I am in a good mood and when she's in a good mood. When she's receptive, affectionate and happy, then I find it easy to serve and love her. However, if I am not feeling great or she's having a difficult day, then it's tempting to let that stop me from doing my part as her husband.
When you have two moody people, such as Amy and myself, living together, you never quite know what mood is going to hit each day. I feel sorry for our kids on those days where we are both in a "funk." I imagine they get confused some days and wonder "what in the world is up?"
Regardless, I am called to lead and love my family - good mood or not. It's a choice I make. Like past Friday, I was in a TERRIBLE mood. I was tired and not responding well in my head or in my actions. By the time we arrived to Clinton, I was foul. My thoughts were negative. I did not like how I felt or acted. I woke up the next morning and made a conscious decision to give it to God and turn things around. The past three days have been way better!
Here are some questions from chapter 6 to ponder, as a husband wanting to love more like Christ:
- Do you typically only express kindness and affection to her when you feel like she's earned it? Or, do you faithfully love her when she least deserves it?
- Does your love for her weaken when she lets you down? Or, does it stay rock solid in the midst of marital storms?
Marriage...is a God-ordained covenant that invites you to love an imperfect, sinful person with the love of Christ. Because that's how He loves you. His love finds every reason to start but finds no reason to stop."
- Do you love her relentlessly and unconditionally? Or is there something she could do that would cause you to give up on her and abandon your marriage? If you can name something - anything - then your love is not unconditional.
________________________________
Romans 8:38-39 (NASB)
38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
No comments:
Post a Comment