Crash proof your marriage...

I have often times wondered, "how can I be certain that my marriage will stand the trials of this world?". I have tried gifts, words of appreciation, xoxoxox(hugs and kisses), short vacations, and even back rubs. All these seem to have a momentary impact. The attitudes of myself and even my spouse change for a little while. But, soon, the old people rear their ugly heads, and start another big fight. Why??? Why do we often times fight the most the ones we claim to LOVE the most? Why???

I find myself thinking a lot of times that I deserve more respect, or love, or affection, or even time to myself than I get. HOW SELFISH I am at times. Here lately, I have been reminding myself every time I begin to take the "victim role", and decide that I am not being respected the way I should that Jesus Christ deserved love, respect, and affection also. However, He was the ultimate example of a "Servant Leader". He could of "threw a fit" and demanded that people respect Him more. But, He instead left His home town once because "a prophet has no honor in his home town." He even was beaten and spat upon and hung on a tree to bleed to death without "demanding more respect" (Side note: It is interesting to think that maybe the beating or the piercing of the side or the trauma or the crown of thorns or the heart break were not actually the wounds that killed Him, but rather the fact that He bled out, He had no more blood in His body. The bible tells us that our life force is in our blood. Maybe He just didn't have anymore blood to bleed.)

Anyway, Jesus is our example to follow the next time we are about to pick a fight because our spouse has mistreated us. We need to remember that if anyone had a right to be upset because of how he/she was treated, it was Jesus Christ.

As for crash-proofing your marriage, look to Ecclesiastes 4:10-12
10 If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!

11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?

12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

We are told here that two is better than one (husband+wife=2), and that a cord of three strands is not quickly broken. What could be that third strand? I suspect it should be Jesus Christ. Think about it, if both of a couples live are intertwined with loving and being loved by Jesus Christ, and the loving and being loved by his/her partner, that makes a pretty strong "three-stranded"cord.

Seek Jesus today. Look to Him to fill your "Love Tank". If you are expecting your spouse to "fulfill" you, you will be let down for the length of the relationship. However, if you are "fulfilled" by Jesus, then you can focus your attention on loving your spouse and the rest of your family because you no longer "need" that person to "fill you up".

This is kind of confusing, but think about it. What if we could concentrate on loving our spouse, instead of living every day expecting them to treat us perfectly? How much better would life be?