Marriage

Marriage is forever not just a passing phase, and we should not treat it so commonly. Like anything in this life worth having, it's going to take hard work, perseverance, good communication, and dying to self-centeredness and selfishness. Men have to learn how to love their wives, this does NOT necessarily come naturally to them. What comes naturally to them is respect. To love means:

-To welcome

-To entertain
-To be fond of
-To love dearly
-To approve of
-To like
-To treat affectionately or kindly
-To befriend
-To show signs of love i.e. to kiss
-To be fond of doing

Women have to learn how to respect their husbands, this does NOT necessarily come naturally to us. What comes naturally to us is love. To respect means to:
 

-To reverence (a feeling or attitude of deep respect tinged with awe; fear mingled with respect and esteem), venerate (revere, respect)
-To treat with deference (A yielding in opinion; submission of judgment to the opinion or judgment of another) or reverential obedience
 

Some of you might not like those definitions but it does not change the fact that they are true. Women have been hard wired to need love and men have been hired wired to need respect. It’s just the way God made us. If we are not giving those things to our spouses then it can damage our relationships and it opens a door for the enemy to enter in.
 

Marriage is designed to get you out of your comfort zone, you will have to learn how to do something that might not come natural to you. It might be one of the hardest things you have to learn how to navigate, but it is the most rewarding. There is nothing in the world that can compare to a spouse that’s been given to you by God. If you surrender and submit yourself to the process of becoming one with your spouse, not only will it make you a better spouse, but it will make you a better person in general.
 

Remember marriage is meant to change you, not your spouse. Let’s shift our focus, no matter hard it has been, off what they have been lacking and onto what we are lacking and need to change within ourselves. God is faithful to do it in and through you if you will allow Him. He is the ONLY one who can save your marriage and turn it around. He is the ONLY one who can merge you and your spouse as one. He is the ONLY one who can bring healing and wholeness and true joy into your marriage. It is never too late for Him…
 

God Bless!
 

Tracy Houston