A big part of “Bullseye Living” means being continually filled up with Jesus in such a way that we supernaturally overflow His love & Spirit onto the people He has sovereignly placed in our lives. Often, this overflow of love towards people is hard to walk in because these “neighbors” are fellow sinners. If we are married, our closest neighbor is our husband. Leaning into this call to love our husband as we love ourselves is one of the biggest challenges we face, but also one of the greatest motivators to keep us going back to the Bullseye. It is a primary relationship that God uses to make us more like Jesus and set us on the path to fulfilling our purpose. We glorify the One who saved us when we lean into the process of learning to properly order and prioritize our marriage.
Think about the state of your relationship to your husband (thoughts, words, & actions) over the course of the last month. Draw a star on the spectrum below where you would say that relationship would land:
Neglected- lots of other things take priority over him/ marriage | Healthy & growing as an overflow of my relationship with Jesus | Hyper-focused or possibly obsessed with my husband/ marriage | ||
Just as the seasons and temperatures change with the tilt of the earth, the climate of our marriages can tilt and shift with the ever-changing circumstances of our lives. Trials or distractions sweep in; heavy work or family responsibilities create necessary adjustments from the familiar; new life or achy death can move the ground beneath us; our husband can let us down or fail us. It is likely that a month or a year from now, we might find ourselves at a different point on that spectrum than we do today. We may find ourselves shutting our husbands out to make room for other things -OR- we may find ourselves clinging to him for our happiness as other things quake. Building or maintaining a healthy, growing marriage relationship doesn’t happen without evaluating those changing seasons, properly prioritizing our lives around the order of God, and clothing ourselves with the humility of Christ.
Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:5-7 |
How does pride currently hold you back from taking the lowly posture of humility in your marriage? {Remember that pride can be the self-protection type that erects walls of distance OR the image conscious, performance driven type.}
What is one step of faith you could take in the next 24 hours to “humble yourself under the mighty hand of God” within your marriage?
Father, I pray that you will help me press through my comfort zone and take this step of faith. I know that to do so, I will have to cast my fears and worries upon you and trust you to be faithful to your promise to care for me when I feel vulnerable. You are the God who lifts the ones who are lowest. Help me to lower myself and make more room for Your Spirit to move, to transform, to rebuild within this marriage. I long for your healing and guidance to invade my marriage and exalt our relationship into a union that brings YOU glory for all of our days. I pray these things in Jesus' Name. Amen |