A Hurting Word...
Welcome to the Marriage Makeover Workshop--now, before you get too excited, let me clue you in--this workship is not for our spouses; it's for US...Forget the spouse spruce-up--we've already tried that one, and it doesn't work too well! And forget any "Wonder WORKover"--self-improvement's not the answer either. We need the skills of the Master Makeover Artist for this one--so let's go to the Well and ask Him for the Makeover of the Year!
Speaking of "year," it's our 25th on Monday, the 2lst, and since I'm gettin' old, wrinkled, and cranky, decided I could use a makeover--and maybe you'd like to join me too--unless you're perfect, that is...!! (And by the way, Happy Anniversary to my beloved husband, Joe--whom I've tried unsuccessfully to "makeover" for 25 years--and have finally decided I love him the way he is--with a few minor improvements, of course...;-)....now, what marriage would be fun if there wasn't SOMETHING to squabble about and improve upon...!!)
A Helping Word...or Two!
Make Love!
...Don't run--this will not be a Drs. Brothers or Rubin Seminar, I promise! I know a better, more qualified and efficient Counsellor, and here's what He says:
"Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife; and they shall be one flesh (Genesis 2:24)."
Marriage is God's divine idea; sex is His delightful idea! Man's idea? Devalue it, dethrone it, and then disgustingly deluge it onto our big screen TVs! Display it with vulgar, lustful images--the more graphic, the more glittering. Is that all there is? Is sex to be relegated to back rooms, bad magazines, and bawdy movies that bare all? A one-act play?
No! Sex is a three-act play--physical, emotional, spiritual--and if body, soul, and spirit are not enmeshed into a three-in-one loving act, then it's time for a make-over! Sex does not begin in the bedroom--it begins with kindness, warmth, humor--qualities of the soul--it moves on to agape love, unbounding joy, surrendering trust--qualities of the spirit. Add the dimension of a Christian marriage, and you've got dynamite--not only are you and your spouse delighted, God is delighted. And that's exactly how He has determined it to be. For, it is and always has been His idea in the first place!
Make War!...Huh? Must be a mistake here--that doesn't make sense! Of course not--I'm no more in favor of hot-headed battles and heavy-handed spouses than you are. God condemns it, and so should we! God's idea is not for war, but for peace--and we strive--sometimes with great effort, to achieve it. Marriage is hard work--and some skirmishes, for sure--but let's not make it war!
Unless....we make it with OURSELVES! Ouch--that means the selfish, self-centered, self-indulgent, self-enthroned one--not my spouse--but me--needs a desperate makeover. One plus one should equal one, not two, in a Christian marriage--two heads make for a disaster scene. Must we fight our selfish tendencies to have our own way? Must we battle our inner demands to do our own thing? Yes! Let's make war on those negative qualities we know so well--silence, sharpness, shrewdness, and more--they're unique for each of us! God desires each spouse to bring to the marriage an open mind, a willing heart, a pliable spirit. Let's determine to add such a battle plan for our OWN lives, and God will work in us and with us. He'll make us over into His image, for that's His plan. It has and always has been His idea in the first place!
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them (Genesis 1:27 KJV)."
Make Up!..All spouses can grin on this one, for we all know the fun, joy--and relief of making up after the storm is over! Come on, admit it--all marriages have storms; that's the hard part--the rainbow that follows is the fun part. And it's God's promise to us that a true Christian marriage, although stretching us daily, will make us over into the people and partners He would have us be!
And so--UP with communication, comfort, consideration, caring--and of course, comedy!! It's a makeover we all need--and a necessary part of God's design for happy marriage. And yes, HIS idea in the first place!
"Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God (1 John 4:7 KJV)."
Can YOU perform a marriage makeover by yourself? Of course not! Then what's the secret? I believe it is making Jesus Christ supreme in your life--Lord of your person, and then of your partnership. And can you guess the results? He promises our Christian marriages to be a delightful intimacy, a declaration of peace, and a defusion of the devil's purposes to destroy. It's all HIS idea--and I LIKE it--hope you agree!
And that's just a word...or two, from my heart to yours!
His Healing Word
Bible Gateway.com - 1Corinthians+13:1-13">God's Design for a Loving Marriage!
"Lord, I've tried too long to relegate a marriage makeover to my spouse--when, in fact, I may need it most! Reveal the areas of my own life that call for Your cleansing and touch. Make me into Thy image; and then bless my marriage with the delight, joy, and love that You have intended it to be. In Jesus' Name, Amen."
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evangelical Christian faith, I may not personally agree with every specific doctrinal belief set forth in other
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