It takes a little warming up
Following up to Lance’s post, I was struck with the idea ofjust how many marriages out there just seem to be doing okay. I mean “okay”? Seriously, is that all that you want fromlife is okay? Are you okay with beingmediocre in marriage? Are you okay withbeing just a mediocre Christian? Are youokay with just okay? Surely God wantsmore from you. Don’t you want more outof life then just okay?
Have you ever heard of the expression of “greasing thewheels?” How about the expression “primingthe pump?” Marriage is a lot like thatin the sense that you, as spiritual leader have to do more in the marriage thenjust mediocrity. If you are good atsports, then at some point you had to practice to be better. If you are good at something it is usuallynot just because you were granted that gift from God that made you great. Even the best of us continually practice andpractice until they can practice no more and they still believe that they canmake it better.
What if we say that about our wives? What if we decided here and now that ourwives will get 2nd Best behind us serving and committing our life toChrist. What if right here and now wesaid, “Dear Lord, please be Lord over my entire life and I will trust and obeyyour every precept and desire for my life?”, do you think that God will bless aman that said that prayer and repented of his sinful ways. What if we committed in our lives right nowthat from here on out, that God would be number one, our wives would be number two,our kids (if you have them) will be number three and then our jobs andcommunity would be behind that along with our hobbies and other desires. Imagine with me, just for a moment, what thatwould look like.
So where do you begin? Any step of leadership you take toward submitting (trusting and obeying)God would be questionable, at best, to your wives. And especially any act of kindness orsincerity toward your wife may be suspect if you have always been disingenuousbefore in the past. She would probablyjust think that you are trying to make “nice nice” so you can lure her intoyour bed. Don’t go that route. Instead, just decide here and now that youare going to be a new man in Christ. Askhim each morning to direct your path and to guide your footsteps and to leadyou in the way that will bless your marriage, your family and especially your relationshipwith him.
If you take this step, then we promise that with dailyreading of the Word and daily prayers (daily = throughout the day) then youwill reap the reward of a great (not an okay) but a great marriage.
Dare to dream, dream to dare and make those dreams a realityby trusting and obeying the very word of God.