February 2 – Willful Marriage Challenge I love that you get cold when its 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle in your nose when youre looking at me like Im nuts. I love that after I spend day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And its not because Im lonely, and its not because its New Years Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.--Harry Burns (Billy Crystal), When Harry Met Sally You will soon be able to tell from the movie quotes, that one of us is a sappy romantic. As cheesy as the quotes may sound, they express kindness and love in ways that we may not hear in everyday life. One thing that will be a common thread in the quotes we share is that either a man or a woman is speaking selflessly as they profess their love and adoration for the other. And that my friend, should happen every day in our marriages, either spoken or through our actions. Which brings us to today’s assignment - Beginning today start to think about all of the wonderful attributes of your spouse. What are the things that you love about him or her? What makes them special and sets them apart from all others? As these things come to mind compliment your spouse and share how thankful you are to have them in your life. Let them know how beautiful or handsome they are. Call to his or her attention how even the little things about them that may go unnoticed by others, don’t go unnoticed by you. Share with them how blessed you are by the way he or she takes care of the family, the car, the home. Out loud and on purpose let them know how thankful you are that God made them just the way they are. Now, as we prayed about this assignment our hearts were heavy for those that may be struggling with bitterness or unforgiveness toward their spouse. It is very difficult to even think of kind things when we are carrying around pain and anger in our hearts toward someone. Let alone say them out loud, right? If this is you, take a few steps back today from our assignment. Ask the Lord to help you to forgive the hurts and to look past the fault to the true need, the need for reconciliation and healing in your heart and marriage. Sometimes the cares and frustrations of this life have a way of mounting up into this seemingly insurmountable mountain. Give God the mountain and ask Him to heal the hurt and help you to forgive and move forward in our journey. “I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart.” Mark 11:2 Also, if you are the one that has brought the pain, lay down your pride and ask for forgiveness. A beautiful work will happen inside of each of you as you trust the Lord to heal the brokenness. Remember this week we are focusing on the power of one flesh. Our key scripture for the week is Genesis 2:18-24. Read it together and ask the Lord to open the eyes of your heart to fully experience oneness in Him and in your marriage. Share your thoughts about the scripture together. Some of you expressed the difficulty in finding a way to put your thoughts into prayer, so we have included a simple sample prayer. “Lord, thank you for creating my spouse. You made him/her just for me. Father, today help me to see the many wonderful attributes of my spouse. Help me to value him/her as a gift. Lord, help me to love my spouse with the same kind of sacrificing love as you portrayed when you died for us on the cross. In Jesus name, Amen. If you are in the Manchester area, dont forget our Couples Bible Study on Feb 4th and Feb 18th from 7:00p-8:30p. Childcare provided.
Posted on: Sun, 02 Feb 2014 13:45:11 +0000