Marriage is a Gift you Give and Receive

Being married is one of the greatest gifts. It is a gift that teaches us, challenges us, blesses us and changes us. It is filled with heartaches and the most incredible blessings.

I asked my husband, Chad a couple quick questions and I challenge you to ask your spouse too.

#1 What’s the greatest part of being married? Chad: Having your best friend to do life with and experiencing new things together.

#2 What’s the hardest part about being married? Chad: Adapting to the differences in expectations.

#3 When was the last time you really felt like marriage was a gift from God to you? Chad: This morning when I woke up.

AWWWW…. I mean, who wouldn’t love to hear those things come from your husband/wife? Those words are so simple yet so specific.

Chad and I have been married for 24 years and there have been plenty of challenges along the way, but through every challenge we have been changed. In the middle of and on the other side of the challenges there’s one truth we can not deny: OUR MARRIAGE IS A GIFT FROM GOD TO US.

Proverbs 18:22says “He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD.”

We have to appreciate the gift we’ve been given, love the gift we’ve been given and fight hard for the things we love. If marriage truly is a gift and we want to live in a such a way that backs up that statement there are a few things we have to fight for in our marriage.

Connectedness

We connect with communication and touch, both of which take time. If you’ve never taken the assessment to discover your spouses LOVE LANGUAGES you can do that NOW. It literally takes a couple minutes and you get the results instantly. We must make the time to connect and take the time to connect intentionally (in their love language)

Unity

When we are unified in our purpose there’s no room for the enemy. We were designed to walk in unity with God and each other and the enemy introduced sin to separate us from God and each other. My purpose is to love God fully, allow HIM to show me things in my life that need to go or need to grow AND my purpose is to make my husbands life better. Simply put, what can I do to serve my husband today that shows that I love and respect him?

Fun

This is so important for us to take time to have fun together. Fun can happen with and without the kids, inside and outside the home. Chad and I have learned the more we laugh with/at each other and the more we take off our “serious” hats the more we get to truly enjoy the gift in front of us.

I LOVE both giving and receiving gifts. The funny thing is it’s not one of my top love languages. We give gifts to bless others. How are we presenting ourselves as a gift to our spouse? What are we giving them with our words, actions and attitudes? I challenge you to pray through those questions and ask the Lord what needs to shift in you so you can SEE the gift in your marriage and BE the gift in your marriage.