Real Loving

   So, the wedding is over, and so is the honeymoon. Why does it sometimes seem a whole lot easier to do the things your “special someone” loves BEFORE you tie the knot? What about after?

  The commitment of love takes all of us down different paths, but most of us travel through frenzied, hurried up, out the door, “I love you’s,” head past the feel good “once in a while” date nights, and land in a pasture that points to the real art of loving. Oh yes, pastures boast many different things! They can boast the most fragrant of flowers, enchanted gates to other pastures and secret hide outs, perhaps even a small stream . . . And sometimes . . .?!? Angry bulls, electric fences, and “cow piles,” just to name a few!

   The real art of loving begins when it’s no longer the consistent, “what about me” but the marriage translation is caught, and the question becomes, “what about _____________.” (Fill in the blank with your spouses name!) It’s amazing to discover a wonderful secret. When we focus on what our spouse is needing, and what we can do for them — many times we find our own needs are met. (Or we forget what we so desperately thought we needed!) Even communicating to one another becomes much easier when are focused on how to make this relationship best for one another.

   There is a lot of emphasis placed on how important communication between one another is in a marriage relationship. While that is a definite need, what we say to others ABOUT our marriage relationship and our spouse is also important! Ephesians 4:29 tells us, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

   Who better to build up than those who we love most on this earth. They see us at our best and worst. We see them at their best and worst. So, why not speak about the best? The simple golden rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do to you,” perhaps is best applied within the family circle.

Take it with You  

Building up with words is important! Words form sentence structure — and then write a family chapter in the story of our lives. How will ours read? 4:20

 
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Ephesians