How is your marriage going? Now I know some of you are not married, so read along and learn. In Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott’s devotional book for couples, they describe a marital reformation. It really spoke to me so I thought I would share. As you read, think about Tim Challies’ quote — “it is the glory of a man to overlook an offense; it is a foolish and prideful man who feels every little offense is worthy of confrontation.”
Can you imagine what would happen in your home if both of you suddenly began overlooking petty problems? If you each decided to bypass each opportunity to criticize? What would happen if suddenly tomorrow this grace occurred in every home? It would be nothing short of a revolution. Perhaps the greatest social revolution ever!
Love must be blind—-at least to petty offenses—if it is to grow. We all supply plenty of opportunities for our spouse to find fault. That goes with the territory of being human. The trick is learning how to shut our eyes when we encounter each other’s minor faults.
How do you actually put this biblical principle into practice? Here are a couple of suggestions:
First, take inventory on what you especially appreciate about your spouse.
Why? Because doing so recalibrates your mind-set. In one of the classes we teach, we sometimes have our student take ten seconds to notice everything in the room that’s green. Suddenly, they see green everywhere. Why? They invoked a green mind-set. They couldn’t help but see it because that’s all they were looking for. The same is true in marriage. When we invoke a positive mind-set for our partner, we begin to see so many more things they do well. A positive mind-set can’t help but engender appreciation and positivity.
Second, own up to your own faults. Is there some log in your eye that you have missed in the fixation on the speck in your spouse’s eye ( Matthew 7:3-5)? Consider what it would be like to be married to you. What about you makes you challenging to live with? The more you recognize the difficulties you bring to the table, the more acceptance you will have of your partner’s foibles.
Why don’t you try these two steps today? Where is your mind-set? When you spouse walks into your life each day, what do you see? Start a SHE IS WONDERFUL MIND-SET today.
Let the revolution begin.
Mr. Wes
Wes Marion is a member of the REUP In Team. A group of guys dedicated to helping others live by HIS life. Learn more at http://www.livingbyhislife.com
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