There will come a time when your marriage requires you to love like Jesus.
I know it may sound cliché, but times like these could potentially make or break a marriage. We live in a culture that is so focused on getting what you deserve. You’ve heard it before… “you deserve better, or if it doesn’t make you happy – leave.”
That may work for dating relationships, but it doesn’t work well for the covenantal agreement of marriage. What if Jesus’ passion and love stopped for us when we did things that didn’t make him happy?
There are plenty of times in my life when I know that Jesus deserved better from me, but He loved me anyway. It’s during those times that I’m the most grateful for his love because I know I didn’t deserve it – matter of fact, I never deserve it.
Thank goodness for grace. Okay, now back to the marriage analogy. You gotta watch me – I’ll get sidetracked talking about my Jesus.
On a very basic level, we are dealing with another human being in marriage who is also on a personal journey of self-discovery and partnership with Christ that comes with many victories and triumphs, but also some challenges, as well.
With this being the case, there may be times when your spouse may unintentionally let you down in minor and major ways.
However, I want us to be prepared for the potential disappointments and not feel blindsided. When you are in the thick of things, it may feel like your spouse abandoned you.
There may be a season where you feel betrayed or abandoned by your spouse. I just want to remind you that you are not alone.
You may ask God, “why have you forsaken me?” I promise that he is right there with you, and he also deeply feels the pain that you are going through.
He doesn’t want the pain to kill you or define your marriage, but he wants it to produce something beautiful on the other side.
He wants to give you firsthand experience and insight on how to love like Jesus loves, so that you can receive the benefits that stem from loving like he does. The reality is that Jesus’ love transforms lives.
Could it be that he is using a painful situation to transform both you and your spouse more into his image, his character, his love, and his patience.
No pain goes unused in the kingdom. It can produce a beautiful harvest and fruit that your marriage can benefit from for years and generations to come.
When the tough seasons come, don’t cut down the tree of your marriage. There is important fruit connected to your tree. Let it grow to see future seasons full of abundance and beauty.
Tough seasons aren’t forever, and you can intentionally plant positive seeds for future harvests that will surpass your greatest imagination. Love like Jesus and watch him transform and give new life to you, your spouse, and your marriage.
With love,
Dr. Cassandra